Antonio Bryant Antonio Bryant ( born March 9 , 1981 ) is an American football wide receiver who last played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college football for University of Pittsburgh , and was recognized as an All - American and Fred Biletnikoff Award winner . The Dallas Cowboys picked him in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft , and he played professionally for the Cleveland Browns , San Francisco 49ers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL . He is currently a free agent . Early years . Bryant was born in Miami , Florida and graduated from Miami Northwestern High School , where he was a standout high school football player for the Bulls . He was selected as a team captain in three straight years and helped lead his team as a senior to a Class 6A state title and an undefeated record ( 16 - 0 ) . College career . Bryant attended the University of Pittsburgh , and played for the Pittsburgh Panthers football team from 1999 to 2001 . He was a first - team All - Big East selection in 2000 and 2001 , and was recognized as a consensus first - team All - American as a sophomore in 2000 . He also won the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the best college wide receiver in America in 2000 ; he was the second sophomore to win the award ( after Randy Moss ) . He declared for the NFL Draft after his junior year , leaving as the conference ' s record holder for regular - season touchdowns ( 26 ) and 100 - yard receiving games ( 13 ) . Professional career . Dallas Cowboys . Bryant was selected in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys , after dropping because of character concerns . He was given number 88 with the expectation of developing into a great player and was the first rookie wide receiver to start in a season opener since Michael Irvin . At the time , his 44 receptions ranked third , his 733 receiving yards ranked fourth and his 6 touchdown receptions ranked second all - time for a Cowboys rookie in a season . In 2003 , he was moved to the # 3 receiver after Terry Glenn was signed as a free agent . That year he had his signature moment against the Carolina Panthers ( one of the top teams in the NFL at the time ) , on a 4th and 14 last minute game winning acrobatic touchdown reception . In 2004 , the arrival of free agent Keyshawn Johnson ] ] started to affect his attitude . During a mini - camp practice after being unsatisfied with the number of reps he had , he started cursing and threw his jersey aiming at Bill Parcells head , before the team broke up the fight . Although Parcells gave him a second chance , tensions kept escalating from that point forward . He was eventually traded to the Cleveland Browns after the fifth game of the season , in exchange for wide receiver Quincy Morgan , who also had issues with his team . Cleveland Browns . With the Browns he behaved as a model citizen . In 2005 , he had his best season up to that point , leading the team in catches ( 69 ) , receiving yards ( 1 , 009 yards ) and touchdowns ( four ) . He became a free agent at the end of the year . San Francisco 49ers . Bryant would later sign as a free agent with the 49ers in 2006 . On March 1 , 2007 , Bryant was released by the 49ers because of clashes with head coach Mike Nolan . This came one year after he signed a four - year , $ 14 million contract . Reinstatement . On September 17 , 2007 , Bryant was reinstated by the league , but was not able to sign with a team , partly because of a failed drug test over the summer . In October 2007 , he filed a lawsuit against the NFL to try to get them to stop drug testing him since he was not a player at the time , and to drop the failed drug test . In December 2007 , the case was resolved without the details being released . Tampa Bay Buccaneers . After not playing in 2007 , on March 10 , 2008 , Bryant signed a deal for the veteran minimum with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . He had a career game on Monday Night Football against the Carolina Panthers . He had 9 receptions for 200 yards , including a one - handed touchdown catch dubbed " catch of the year " . Despite his performance , the Buccaneers lost 38 - 23 . Bryant finished his best season as a pro with 83 catches for 1 , 248 yards and 7 touchdowns while averaging 15 yards per catch . He became the Buccaneers ' leading receiver and the second player in franchise history to record three or more consecutive 100 - yard receiving games . On February 18 , 2009 , Bryant was given the franchise tag by the Buccaneers , which he accepted on February 26 , 2009 . On February 25 , 2010 , after a somewhat disappointing and injury - plagued season , Bryant was released by the Buccaneers . Cincinnati Bengals . After finishing an injury - plagued season and coming off surgery to repair cartilage damage in his left knee , the Cincinnati Bengals took a gamble and signed Bryant on March 10 , 2010 , to a four - year contract worth a reported $ 28 million , along with multiple incentives . After the Bengals signed Terrell Owens , Bryant gave up his No . 81 jersey for Owens , who had worn the number his entire career . In return for the number , Bryant requested Owens make a donation to his charity and wore jersey No . 19 instead . After struggling in practices and not being able to play in any of the pre - season games because of problems with his left knee , the Bengals released him on August 29 , 2010 . Seattle Seahawks . On June 12 , 2012 , Bryant worked out for the Seattle Seahawks by attending their three - day mini - camp and took a physical for the team as well . On June 15 , 2012 , it was reported that Bryant finished all three of the minicamp practices , indicating that his chronic knee injury had healed . After being out of football for two years , Bryant signed with the Seahawks on July 26 , 2012 . Bryant ' s stay with the team was short lived , as he was released by the team on August 5 , 2012 .