Antonio Bryant Will Not Be Franchised

Based on the Buccaneers’ decision not to franchise him, Antonio Bryant will probably be moving on from Tampa Bay. After his stellar 2008 season with the Bucs, when he had 83 receptions for 1248 yards and 7 touchdowns, Bryant’s 2009 was lackluster.  He missed 3 games and only had 39 receptions.  Paired with a mediocre 600 yards and 4 touchdowns, Bryant’s performance was not reminiscent of his 2008 campaign.

As the talk is with any receiver, the Ravens are linked, and will be considered by many “the most logical choice” for said receiver.  With the team possibly losing all of their receivers besides Derrick Mason to free agency, any and all depth might be needed.  Personally, I think Bryant would be a good addition.  An interesting thing I noticed looking at his career stats is that after having a good season with big numbers, he had a down year the next season.  Check it out:

• 2002 (rookie w/Dallas): 44 rec, 733 yards, 6 TD
• 2003 (w/Dallas) : 39 rec, 550 yards, 2 TD
• 2004 (w/Dallas and Cleveland): 58 rec, 812 yards, 4 TD
• 2005 (w/Cleveland): 69 rec, 1009 yards, 4 TD
• 2006 (w/San Fran): 40 rec, 733 yards, 3 TD
• Missed 2007
• 2008 (w/Tampa): 83 rec, 1248 yards, 7 TD
• 2009 (w/Tampa): 39 rec, 600 yards, 4 TD
• Career Averages: 53 rec, 812 yards, 4 TD

So, you can notice that he goes up and down, from season to season.  His numbers are solid for the most part, and even if Bryant isn’t the Brandon Marshall or Anquan Boldin star-type receiver the fans desire, bringing in a proven veteran to at least be a #2 is never a bad thing, especially as Joe Flacco grows into one of the NFL’s premier quarterbacks.