History of Martavis Bryant in Timeline
Martavis Bryant is an American football wide receiver for the Washington Commanders. Drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2014, he has played for multiple NFL teams including the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys. Bryant's career also includes stints with the CFL's Toronto Argonauts and Edmonton Elks, the IFL's Massachusetts Pirates, FCF's Beasts, XFL's Vegas Vipers, showcasing his journeyman status in professional football.
December 20, 1991: Birth
Martavis Alexander Bryant was born on December 20, 1991.
2010: Track and Field Achievements
In 2010, Martavis Bryant finished 2nd in the 100 meters at the Regional Class 1 AAAA championships with a time of 10.85 seconds and won the 200 meters at the 2010 Region 1-4A Meet, recording a personal-best time of 21.46 seconds.
October 1, 2011: First Career Start
Martavis Bryant had his first career start against No. 10 Virginia Tech on October 1, 2011.
2013: Breakout Junior Season
Martavis Bryant had his best year in his college career in 2013, with impressive performances against Georgia, North Carolina State, Georgia Tech, and Ohio State in the Orange Bowl.
January 5, 2014: Declaration for NFL Draft
On January 5, 2014, Martavis Bryant announced his decision to forgo his senior season and enter the 2014 NFL draft.
March 6, 2014: Clemson Pro Day
Martavis Bryant participated in Clemson's Pro Day on March 6, 2014, choosing to only perform positional drills.
June 9, 2014: Signing with the Steelers
Martavis Bryant signed a four-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers on June 9, 2014, worth $2.659 million.
2014: Impressive Rookie Season
Martavis Bryant finished his rookie season in 2014 with 26 receptions for 549 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in ten games, leading the NFL in yards-per-reception with 21.1.
2014: NFL Draft
Martavis Bryant was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft.
January 3, 2015: First NFL Postseason Game
Martavis Bryant played in his first NFL postseason game on January 3, 2015, against the Ravens, recording five receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown.
August 27, 2015: Suspension and Return
Martavis Bryant was suspended for the first four games of the 2015 season due to violating the league's substance abuse policy. On August 27, 2015, he began his suspension.
January 9, 2016: Controversial Catch in Wild Card Round
On January 9, 2016, during the Wild Card Round against the Bengals, Martavis Bryant made a controversial catch in the end zone, which was later deemed should not have been ruled a catch by the NFL VP of officiating.
March 14, 2016: Suspension for Substance Abuse Policy Violation
The NFL announced Martavis Bryant's suspension for the entire 2016 NFL season on March 14, 2016, for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
April 25, 2017: Reinstatement and Return to Steelers
Martavis Bryant was conditionally reinstated by the NFL on April 25, 2017, and returned to the Steelers.
October 25, 2017: Demotion to Scout Team
The Steelers demoted Martavis Bryant to the scout team on October 25, 2017, and replaced him with JuJu Smith-Schuster after expressing frustration about his role in the offense.
November 1, 2017: Promotion back to First-Team
Martavis Bryant was promoted back to the Steelers' first-team on November 1, 2017, for the following game against the Colts.
2017: Solid Performance in 2017 Season
Martavis Bryant finished the 2017 season with 50 receptions for 603 yards and three touchdowns, also making an impact in the Steelers' playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
April 26, 2018: Trade to Oakland Raiders
The Pittsburgh Steelers traded Martavis Bryant to the Oakland Raiders on April 26, 2018, in exchange for the Raiders' third-round pick in the 2018 NFL draft.
September 1, 2018: Released by the Raiders
Martavis Bryant was released by the Raiders on September 1, 2018.
December 5, 2018: Placed on Injured Reserve
On December 5, 2018, Martavis Bryant was placed on injured reserve due to a knee injury.
December 14, 2018: Suspended Indefinitely
The NFL suspended Martavis Bryant indefinitely on December 14, 2018, for violating the terms of his conditional reinstatement.
2019: Applied for Reinstatement
Martavis Bryant applied for reinstatement to the NFL in 2019.
January 25, 2021: Signed with the Toronto Argonauts
Martavis Bryant signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League on January 25, 2021.
April 2, 2021: Signed with the Massachusetts Pirates
Martavis Bryant signed with the Massachusetts Pirates of the Indoor Football League on April 2, 2021.
July 10, 2021: Placed on Suspended List
The Toronto Argonauts placed Martavis Bryant on the suspended list on July 10, 2021, after he failed to report for training camp.
December 23, 2021: Released by the Argonauts
On December 23, 2021, the Toronto Argonauts released Martavis Bryant.
February 28, 2022: Signed with the Edmonton Elks
The Edmonton Elks announced the signing of Martavis Bryant on February 28, 2022.
April 29, 2022: Joined the FCF Beasts
The FCF Beasts recruited Martavis Bryant to their team on April 29, 2022.
May 3, 2022: Released by the Elks
The Edmonton Elks released Martavis Bryant on May 3, 2022, before the start of training camp.
November 7, 2023: Released by the Vipers
The Vegas Vipers released Martavis Bryant on November 7, 2023, allowing him to sign with the Dallas Cowboys.
January 4, 2024: Released from Cowboys Practice Squad
Martavis Bryant was released from the Dallas Cowboys practice squad on January 4, 2024.
August 13, 2024: Signed with the Washington Commanders
On August 13, 2024, Martavis Bryant signed with the Washington Commanders.