L. Bell/Steelers fail to reach agreement - last year in Pittsburgh?

mjp28

Le'Veon Bell, Steelers fail to reach long-term deal ahead of deadline

4:52 PM ET

Jeremy FowlerESPN Staff

The Pittsburgh Steelers and running back Le'Veon Bell failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension before Monday's 4 p.m. franchise tag deadline, and his agent says that means it is likely Bell's last season with the team.

"His intention was to retire as a Steeler," Adisa Bakari told ESPN's Adam Schefter. "But now that there's no deal, the practical reality is, this now likely will be Le'Veon's last season as a Steeler."

Bell will play on the franchise tag for the second consecutive year barring an unforeseen development. He tweeted after Monday's deadline passed that "2018 will be my best season to date.".......... ESPN........ CONTINUED.......

mjp28

SportsCenter Retweeted

Adam Schefter

@AdamSchefter

No deal for Steelers and RB Le'Veon Bell.

No deal for Cowboys and DeMarcus Lawrence.

No deal for Lions and Ziggy Ansah.

No deal for Rams and Lamarcus Joyner.

A dud of a deadline day. But the Free Agent Class of 2019 just got stronger.

3:44 PM · Jul 16, 2018

hoorta · 4:52 PM ET

@mjp28 said:

Le'Veon Bell, Steelers fail to reach long-term deal ahead of deadline

4:52 PM ET

Jeremy FowlerESPN Staff

The Pittsburgh Steelers and running back Le'Veon Bell failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension before Monday's 4 p.m. franchise tag deadline, and his agent says that means it is likely Bell's last season with the team.

"His intention was to retire as a Steeler," Adisa Bakari told ESPN's Adam Schefter. "But now that there's no deal, the practical reality is, this now likely will be Le'Veon's last season as a Steeler."

Bell will play on the franchise tag for the second consecutive year barring an unforeseen development. He tweeted after Monday's deadline passed that "2018 will be my best season to date.".......... ESPN........ CONTINUED.......

And should you blow out a knee, you're screwed Le'veon. Steelers don't overpay. They were kicking this around on Fox Sports, and he would have been better off taking a long term deal with more guaranteed money than playing under the franchise tag.

mjp28

http://www.espn.com/blog/pittsburgh-steelers/post/_/id/28194/what-no-deal-means-for-leveon-bell-and-the-steelers

What does this mean for Bell's future with the franchise?

That he's one and done, basically. There's no going back on a failed negotiation with $14.5 million as a starting point. Tagging Bell a third time would cost $20.88 million, and that's after another 300-plus touches. Even a transition tender of $17.42 million seems unlikely.

Bell can hit unrestricted free agency in 2019 as a 27-year-old with mileage issues but a skill set that should age well since he relies more on vision/quickness/savvy than raw athleticism to get yards. Cleveland or San Francisco or the New York Jets will pay him something.......

*[Hmmmmm, let's see, Big Ben real old, A. Brown getting older, Le'veon who knows?]

What about re-signing him straight up next year?

Perhaps if injury or another unexpected variable diminishes his value and Pittsburgh gets him at a value, but that seems unlikely for a player of his caliber.

What will the Steelers do now?

Give Bell the ball over and over in 2018, then prepare for life without him. Develop draft picks James Conner and Jaylen Samuels, hope for the best -- and for a good compensatory pick from Bell's 2019 departure.......

Oh yeah.

onkyoreceiver

How much of Bell's success would you attribute to playing for the best organization in professional sports (meaning they know how to draft and develop players to fit their philosophy better than anyone else in professional sports), and to a somewhat lesser extent for a top 5 offense with a definite first ballot HOF QB and a likely first ballot HOF wide receiver?

Just saying, put Leveon Bell in another organization, and on another offense, and you might not see the same production out of him.

For someone other than Pittsburgh, he could very well go from really, really Shmucking good to above average.

nickers

Bell's best years are more likely behind him...No ones gonna lose sleep...

jcam222

Bell is still a very special talent. I read somewhere he may sit out half the season now. He comes with burdens for sure but he won't be looking for a team long next year.

runyon27

No way he sits out half the season. He is looking for a big pay day next off season and sitting out will turn teams off. If he were smart he will show up to camp, I hope he isn't smart.

gumby73

https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/report_le_39veon_bell_turned_down_5_year_70_million_deal/s1_12680_26836694 no we don't need to be the team to pay this premma'donna next season.. how much do ya need per touch in a pass happy league? #selfishLabia

nickers

@gumby73 said:

https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/report_le_39veon_bell_turned_down_5_year_70_million_deal/s1_12680_26836694 no we don't need to be the team to pay this premma'donna next season.. how much do ya need per touch in a pass happy league? #selfishLabia

Its "Prima Donna.. Not Premma...

The Gipper

@onkyoreceiver said:

How much of Bell's success would you attribute to playing for the best organization in professional sports (meaning they know how to draft and develop players to fit their philosophy better than anyone else in professional sports), and to a somewhat lesser extent for a top 5 offense with a definite first ballot HOF QB and a likely first ballot HOF wide receiver?

Just saying, put Leveon Bell in another organization, and on another offense, and you might not see the same production out of him.

For someone other than Pittsburgh, he could very well go from really, really Shmucking good to above average.

I put little of Bell's success on the organization per se. His talents (and those of BR, Brown etc.) help make the organization, not the other way around. He could easily have had the same production elsewhere. In theory he could have had more production, if he had not had to share the ball with Brown etc.

Nevertheless, with the mileage he will have had on him by the end of this season, it is still possible that he would have a limited "shelf life" after this season. Maybe he is one of those Frank Gore types that can be productive into even his mid 30s, but those guys are rare.

In the last 10 years the league's leading rushers have all been 26 and under....except for Adrian Peterson.

And here is an interesting factoid:

In the history of the NFL and the AFL going back to 1932....only 3 times has a RB led the league in rushing who was 30 or older:

2015 Adrian Peterson age 30

2004 Curtis Martin age 31

1950 Marion Motley age 30

I know Bell is not that old, but last year he led the NFL in rushing attempts with 321, and you never know, it may be possible that someone's skills can drop like a hammer when they reach a certain point.

Nevertheless, it seems that after this year, whether or not he can or cannot prove durable, he will almost certainly be doing it for someone else.

The Gipper

@gumby73 said:

https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/report_le_39veon_bell_turned_down_5_year_70_million_deal/s1_12680_26836694 no we don't need to be the team to pay this premma'donna next season.. how much do ya need per touch in a pass happy league? #selfishLabia

A Pre Madonna? What would that be like Debbie Harry , Olivia Newton John, Petula Clark, Debbie Boone...or the like?

boo fagley

He will skip camp and sign the Tag at the last hour before the season.

hoorta

@gumby73 said:

https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/report_le_39veon_bell_turned_down_5_year_70_million_deal/s1_12680_26836694 no we don't need to be the team to pay this premma'donna next season.. how much do ya need per touch in a pass happy league? #selfishLabia

If Bell thinks a team is going to hand him a $70 million contract with $30 million guaranteed next year, both him and his agent are nuts.

EDIT: Here's the #s from Spotrac. https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/rankings/base/ Bell thinks he's worth Aaron Rodgers money, and a lot more than Ben.

The Gipper

@hoorta said:

If Bell thinks a team is going to hand him a $70 million contract with $30 million guaranteed next year, both him and his agent are nuts.

EDIT: Here's the #s from Spotrac. https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/rankings/base/ Bell thinks he's worth Aaron Rodgers money, and a lot more than Ben.

At most I think he may have 1 or 2 more good years in him.

hoorta

@the-gipper said:

At most I think he may have 1 or 2 more good years in him.

This is from ESPN earlier in the year Gip- MHO Le'veon has an extremely inflated notion of his "value".

Last July, Bell turned down a long-term contract that reports said was worth up to $30 million in the first two years because he felt the team didn't value his full skill set.

Asked what the Steelers should do this off season, Bell said simply: "Value me."

"Just get the numbers straight, exactly where we want them. I'm not going to settle for anything," Bell said. "I know what I do and what I bring to the table. I'm not going out here getting the ball 400 times if I'm not getting what I feel I'm valued at."

Looking at those Spotrac salaries, there's probably at least 10 guys making less than Bell I'd pick for my roster if given the chance.

PS- maybe the Steelers should have signed him to that cap busting salary- a plus for the Browns when they get in cap hell.

jcam222

In all likelihood this is Bells last year as a Pittsburgh Steeler. He is going to set out the entire off-season and not report until game one. Would you trade Carlos Hyde and a third round pick To the Steelers conditional on #BAL agreeing to a long-term contract with the Browns.

MLD Woody

Look, I don't like the Steelers, and I hate MSU, but Bell is a hell of a back. The risk of injury he puts himself at with the workload at his position probably warrants a lot of compensation. Now is it what he wants, the market will decide.

Canton Mike

@jcam222 said:

In all likelihood this is Bells last year as a Pittsburgh Steeler. He is going to set out the entire off-season and not report until game one. Would you trade Carlos Hyde and a third round pick To the Steelers conditional on #BAL agreeing to a long-term contract with the Browns.

Answer: No way in hell!! Keep the prima dona in Pissburgh & ruin THEIR salary cap.

Mike

boo fagley

I think that Bell will be a problem all season.

Why risk injury and jeopardizing your shot at a big contract? Bell may not get the crazy money he wants, but the new contract signing bonus alone will be a nice chunk of change. I see him coasting at times saving himself for his new team.