Potential return of Bryant, talented receivers lured Mann back for one final season

Richard Mann thought 2016 would be his final season in the NFL. The Steelers' wide receivers coach told his players as much.

He was about to turn 70 years old, needed knee surgery and had spent 32 seasons as an assistant coach, including the past four with the Steelers.

The news quickly reached Las Vegas. That's where Martavis Bryant was preparing for his potential return to football. When the suspended wide receiver heard the news, he picked up his phone to call Mann.

"Give me one more year," Bryant recalled pleading with his position coach.

Bryant's potential return, as well as the strength of the Steelers' receiving corps, played a role in Mann's decision to coach again in 2017. But this time it will actually be his final season.



"This is it, this year, for sure," Mann said following the Steelers' first minicamp practice Tuesday at Rooney Sports Complex. "I’m gone. I’m on the clock. I told coach (Mike) Tomlin I just turned 70. That’s it for me. I’ve had enough. ... I’m glad I’m still here because I feel like we have a chance to have a real good team, but nobody is going to give us nothing so we have to earn it."

After having knee surgery and getting the OK from his doctor, Mann arranged a meeting with Tomlin early in the offseason. Both knew how talented the receiving corps would be after the Steelers had reached the AFC Championship game.

Antonio Brown was back. Sammie Coates would have another year of experience. Plus there was the upside of Eli Rogers and Demarcus Ayers. More important, it looked like Bryant would be reinstated.

"That’s why we ended up staying," Mann said. "Talking to Coach T, I knew we had a unique group. There’s a lot of talent. We were anticipating maybe getting Martavis back and that would make it even better. He’s back. We’ll keep everything on the straight and narrow, and hopefully we’ll go into the season with the best group of guys coming out of that room, however many we keep."

Few knew Bryant's situation better than Mann. The two exchanged text messages throughout the year, and Mann would relay that information to the rest of the Steelers' receivers. Even Ayers — who views Bryant as an older brother — was not always updated on Bryant's status.

Bryant knows the role he played in Mann delaying retirement one last season. It's not lost on him. He got emotional in the locker room following Tuesday's practice when asked about it.

"It means a lot to me," he told DKPittsburghSports.com. "He trusted me. He believed in me and never lost faith in me. I was just happy he stayed. Outside of being a player, he cared about me as a human being."

The Steelers know this is Mann's final season. He has not said as much to players, but the receivers get that sense every day. Some are still surprised they have one final season with him.

Ayers, who is preparing for his second season, returned to Dallas in the offseason and told his family that he would have a new receivers coach in 2017. He had that same feeling when he returned to Pittsburgh for offseason training in March.

Upon arriving at Rooney Sports Complex, Ayers was told that Mann was in the building. That's when Ayers knew they had one more shot at getting Mann a Super Bowl ring.

"He’s genuine," Ayers said. "He knows his guys inside out. I’m excited he’s able to give us one more year. It meant everything for him to know we trust him. I wish we could have gotten a ring last year so he could enjoy his family because I know how much it means to him. It’s a pleasure to have him one more year."

Mann was hired by the Steelers in 2013 after Scottie Montgomery left to become Duke's offensive coordinator. A graduate of Aliquippa High School, Mann had a relationship with Tomlin when the two were assistant coaches in Tampa Bay from 2002-05.

He has played a key role in helping Brown develop into the league's top receiver. But Mann has dealt with a heart condition over the past few seasons. That made him consider calling it a career.

First, he wants to win a Super Bowl with a receiving group he considers one of the best he's ever coached in the NFL.

"That’s just motivation to go out there and win it for him," Rogers said. "He’s been in here for a while and he really believes in us. We want to work harder."