Martavis Bryant will be making his XFL debut for the Rod Woodson led Vegas Vipers today at 3:00 p.m. EST on ABC. Bryant a former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver who broke onto the scene in 2014 and part of the infamous “Killer B’s” will have a chance to resurrect his football career.
Bryant, a deep threat wide receiver who’s nickname was “Alien,” was the last real vertical threat the Steelers really had. In his three seasons with the Steelers he caught 126 passes for 1,917 yards and 17 touchdowns. Bryant had a knack for scoring incredible touchdowns during his time wearing the Black and Gold. Two that stick out are his behind-the-knee touchdown catch against the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2015 AFC Wild Card Game and a slant route he housed against the Arizona Cardinals earlier that year.
Bryant though, was not without his struggles. An incredibly talented player, he struggled staying on the field due to suspension for testing positive for marijuana, which caused him to get suspended multiple times, including of the whole 2016 season.
Eventually the Steelers drafted JuJu Smith-Schuster to replace him and 2017, and after a great rookie season from Smith-Schuster, the Steelers traded Bryant to the then Oakland Raiders in 2018 for a third round draft pick.
Bryant’s play didn’t work out in Oakland as he played eight games there before as he was once against suspended and then was out of the NFL after that. He then attempted to get some play in the Canadian Football League (CFL) but never appeared in a game.
With him getting drafted to the XFL, Bryant will have one last chance to have a career in professional football. At 31-years-old, he still has some tread on his tires, especially given he hasn’t played a full season of football since 2017. However, either way at 31 Bryant isn’t a spring chicken either.
It will be fun to watch if Bryant still has his freakish athleticism five years since he last played football at the highest level. His heights were unbelievably high, but his lows were career ending. Hopefully Bryant can show off his talent and resurrect his football career and maybe even get a chance to play in the NFL again. Albeit unlikely, there is always a chance.
