A few days ago, the Steelers publicly laughed off reports that Martavis Bryant had requested a trade. But they weren’t necessarily laughing when he threw rookie fellow receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster into an Instagram rant Sunday night in the hours following the team’s 29-14 win over the Bengals.
Smith-Schuster said Monday afternoon at Rooney Sports Complex that he and Bryant had spoken in the morning regarding the posts, which included one aimed at a critic, “JuJu is no where near better than me, fool. All they need to do is give me what I want and y'all can have JuJu and whoever else.”
“Ever since I got here from the beginning, we’re close friends. We see each other every day,” Smith-Schuster said Monday. “We all want the ball. It’s hard. … I’ve been in his situation in high school, college, so I understand where he’s coming from. Me and Martavis are totally cool.”
That conversation did not take place, however, at the Rooney Sports Complex. Bryant, as he has three times previously in recent weeks, called in sick on Monday.
"I saw it this morning," Smith-Schuster said. "I know where Martavis is coming from. I know where he stands. It's a scenario where you only have one ball and we have so many athletes on the field and you've only one ball to share around, it's tough."
The Steelers said last week, when word leaked that Bryant’s representatives had asked the team to trade the troubled wide receiver, that they had no intention to do so. And despite the NFL's trade deadline looming Oct. 31, the Steelers are sticking with that tack for now. A team source told me the Steelers aren’t actively shopping or listening to offers for the receiver, despite this latest incident. They also have no plans to suspend or otherwise discipline him at this time.
But with Bryant, who is coming off a year-long suspension for violation of the league's substance abuse policy, taking the day off, Smith-Schuster and others were left to answer questions about the social media statements.
“Every time I talk to (Martavis), he seems like he’s OK,” Bud Dupree said. “You would never know (anything is wrong).”
Bryant caught one pass for 3 yards against the Bengals and played 36 snaps, five more than Smith-Schuster. He also was targeted by Ben Roethlisberger on a deep pass late in the game and seemed to lose the ball in the lights. It fell to the ground harmlessly to his outside.
The Steelers attempted only 24 passes in the victory over the Bengals, just eight of which came in the second half as they went with a run-heavy attack.
Bryant has 18 receptions for 234 yards and one touchdown this season, while Smith-Schuster has 17 for 231 yards and three touchdowns.
"In the heat of the moment, I've been in situations where I've wanted the ball," Smith-Schuster said. "It doesn't bother me. Moving forward, I hope we do get him the ball more. He's a great receiver, a great athlete. I think he's going to be great for us."
Bryant is earning a base salary of just under $615,000 this season as part of the deal he signed as a rookie in 2014. He still has one year remaining on that contract and is scheduled to earn $705,000 in 2018.
He has lost over $800,000 in pay because of two previous suspensions for violation of the league's substance abuse policy.