Adios in 2019 LeVeon.........

What a schmuck!

I didn't expect it to happen, but as of 4:00 pm doesn't look like any long-term deal for Bell was reached, meaning this coming season will be his last as a Steeler. Disappointing because of how good he is and what he does for the team, but even more disappointing for the following reasons, some of which have already been touched on in this forum:

1) Bell is NOT going to get the $15+ mil/year he seeks next season when he enters free agency from any team.........no matter how much cap space they have, and that's because no running back........not him or anyone else including Gurley or Elliott......is worth $15 mi/yr in today's NFL. He could rush for 1,500 yds, catch 80 balls for another 1,000 yds, score 15+ touchdowns, and be a league and Super Bowl MVP..........STILL isn't worth $15 mil/year as a RB. No team is going to offer him that next Spring. And certainly not with an injury history, suspension risk, and even more heavy mileage after this season as approaches age 27. No team is going to offer him 5 years, $75 million with half of it guaranteed, taking him beyond age 30. Not gonna happen.

2) The real STINK of this will be when he inevitably signs elsewhere for $10-12 million per year next February, and everyone in his camp as well as Steelers fans/brass are collectively like, "WTF"? And writers or Bell will point to some nonsense like "higher signing bonus", which is a bogus argument because........as has been already pointed out here.........the Steelers have NEVER...........EVER........cut/released a player that they have inked a long-term suspension with prior to the start of year-4. Unless there are catastrophic consequences.......namely long-term suspensions or serious ending season injuries in consecutive years, whatever is baked in to years 2-3 of any long term deal is essentially "guaranteed". They don't eat contracts after 2-3 years and never have. The fact that they offer the money to begin with means they value the player greatly. They typically have roster bonuses year-2 and year-3 that they can then convert to full signing bonus and massage cap numbers if they want to, or pay in full at the start of the league year. Just because they aren't signing bonus at the time the deal is made doesn't mean they are likely "guaranteed". We say this last year as Bell was slotted to receive $40 million his first 3 years on an extension..........but one he turned down.

3) Everyone keep this in mind, if/when Bell signs elsewhere........I think everyone has every reason to believe Pitt offered something close to $14 mil/year or something close to his tag number this year, as that's just how the business works. If he ends up leaving over a lousy $500k-$1 mil per season, keep an eye on who he eventually signs with. With the exception of three states with franchises that have no state income tax (WA, TX, FL).........PA features one of the lowest combination of state and local income tax rates in the nation (4% combined), in addition to a modest 6% sales tax. If Bell signs somewhere with a significantly higher combined income/sales tax rates (likely) any difference in what Pitt likely offered him and what he ultimately signs for could simply end up being mostly eaten up by higher tax rates. I'm sure this isn't a consideration by his agent given there is no comparison in place until multiple offers are first on the table, but its at least SOMETHING his agent should have noted to him already. Wanna go play in New England, New York, or California or even a modestly bigger market.........he'll likely be paying upwards of $500k-$1 million a year in taxation, not to mention possibly being in an area with a higher cost of living.

4) Unless he signs with Dallas or Philly (unlikely), he won't be running behind a better OL, or catching passes from a future HOF QB and multiple SB winner, nor will he likely be signing with any team that has as many weapons as Pitt that take focus and attention away from Bell. Its a consideration he should have made but unfortunately many players don't. Very few players walk into an organization like Pitt that has assembled a roster comparable to it, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

5) At some point you have to realize what you are potentially playing for. Do you want to wallow in a team's mediocrity but boast about being the highest paid in league history, or do you really want to chase titles and make THAT part of your legacy instead of focusing on that of other players and what THEY get paid. Most key players on teams with great runs end up in the Hall of Fame some day. And as some have already mentioned here..........Farrior, Harrison, Hampton, Polamalu, Aaron Smith, Ward, Miller, etc.............all could have commanded more money and gotten it elsewhere.......but they understood where the team stood in an era where the cap was not climbing and chose to chase titles while still being paid very well. They won two and played for a 3rd together. We've heard testimony and lots of interviews by former players........some of whom left in free agency or be traded...........talk about how unique it is in Pitt and hard to duplicate the atmosphere.

6) Pitt brass make fair offers, but they don't reset the market for the sake of doing so. And no player at ANY position makes even CLOSE to DOUBLE what the next highest at his position makes........nor should he.

Adios Bell next year.........Pitt won't be the same without you, but neither likely will you. Pitt has shown it can replace players.........even special ones and continue to excel. And you will likely add to the list of those saying publicly down the road that they wished they had stayed. Just a shame. Hope we can win it all this coming year, because this will likely be their LAST best chance to win one with all their best players in place sans Shazier. Would be a shame if FIVE players (likely-Ben, AB, Bell, Pouncey, DeCastro) end up in the Hall of Fame one day yet they aren't able to boast winning a title together. Doubt too many other teams in league history with 4+ guys in the HOF on one side of the ball can "claim" that.

-Steelers teams of 70's (Bradshaw, Swann, Stallworth, Webster, Harris)
-80's......nobody comes to mind, none of 49er teams
-Cowboys of early 90's (Larry Allen, Aikman, Smith, Irvin)
-Rams 99' (Faulk, Warner, Pace, Bruce, and eventually Holt)
-Colts 06' (Possible with Manning, Bruce, MAYBE Wayne, Clark, Saturday)

Those are the only teams that had that luxury.......and all won or played for multiple titles.

 

What an ass.........yes they wanted to pay BOTH-LeVeon you greedy POS, and I'm sure they made an offer of $14+ million/year. Find me another player that makes more than 75% more than the next highest paid player at the position........there isn't one. And he won't get it next year either from any team.


Via Le'Veon Bell's agent Adisa Bakari: "His intention was to retire as a Steeler. But now that there's no deal, the practical reality is, this now likely will be Le'Veon's last season as a Steeler."
More: "It became clear the Steelers wanted to pay the position, not the player."

 

I held out hope but Bell is just out of his mind. The Vikings pretty much screwed this for us with that ridiculous Cousins deal.

Bell probably wants guaranteed money like that. He won't be here next year so I guess that's the breaks.

 

Draft Cam Akers in 2 yrs...what a beast he will be

 

Now we are in the market for an ILB and stud RB next draft.

 

14 million a season? And that’s not enough? 33 million guaranteed. That’s not enough? I don’t know what he really thinks he is going to get. Right now I would offer him up for a first rd pick. Start the post Bell era now, why wait?

 

Yep 5 yrs $70M

 

$33 mil first two years....... $45 first three.

And again.....the BS we'll get next year when he crows about $25+ mil signing bonus is bunk. Pitt has never cut anyone on any long term extension until just before year-4 (Lamar Woodley). They are one of few teams you can look at years 1-3 as all but guaranteed money, even if it's not all given at initial signing.

He's not going to get 5 years, $75+ mil with half of it guaranteed next season from anybody. Not after another 400+ touches this season.

If Pitt truly wanted to "pay the position", they would have offered him $9.3 mil/yr.........20% more than the next highest paid AT THE POSITION!

 

I’m glad he didn’t accept that offer. That is way too much for a RB.

 

May u please remind me how many teams in the last 20 years won a SB with a stud RB.
(20 years ago Denver with Davis, 19 years ago Rams with Faulk, after that u can argue Seattle with Lynch but not a stud in my book, they won that SB on defense)

The Steelers haven’t won anything with Bell, invest the money in the defense.

 

Do you think he will get boo'd some by the home crowd this year?

 

As a Ravens fan, I don't get why everyone is so upset about this. Yeah, Pittsburgh had/has a great offensive trio with Ben, Bell, and Brown, but what did it get the team outside of bragging rights on stats? Yeah, you get to boast about having arguable the best RB in the league, arguably the best WR in the leage, and a HoF QB, but that trio hasn't seen a superbowl appearance together. In fact, in 5 seasons, the team has 3 total playoff wins, one of which Bell missed due to injury.

This isn't a trash talk post. I was firmly against the Ravens paying Ray Rice a second contract because I never saw the value in overpaying a RB unless he's Barry Sanders reincarnated (which would be hard since Sanders is still alive lol). Bell is saving the team money that they could use to re-invest in that defense. Sure, it wasn't statistically that bad last season, but who's really super confident in the defense? The last time the Steelers won a superbowl, it was with a dominant defense, Ben, a "good" WR corp, and a starting RB averaging under 4ypc.

 

BEST DAMN POST ON THIS!!!+++

 

Understand this is the perfect reply post for Bell's actions. He's a selfish prick who cannot see the forest for the trees concerning this deal offering. Everything B&G says will come to pass, he'll get his money and then suffer the consequences of this decision.

I asked the question earlier if there were some remedies open to the Steelers... I was thinking something like trade Bell to that LB rich organization looking for that stud RB. Perhaps find someone who already signed a 3-4 year contract and would be in the pen for a while before renegotiation... I'm sure there's downsides to this but I want him gone ... he's poison and we'll hear of of it next year when he's out the door, not before because of the rest of the team's protection.

I may not read any sports pages for the next 8 or so days. Writers are all conjecture and He and his agent tweeting their shit is just too much.

 

Pitt defense is fine...maybe get more depth and a MLB if Shazier is out

 

Please note that defense gave up 38 points to Jacksonville at a playoff Home game. They played against a bunch of backups thru the regular season and sub-par starters. I wouldn’t consider that defense fine.

 

Ben put them in some horrible spots in that game...missing a couple of 4th downs didn’t help as well...did the defense play great...nope but it isn’t terrible...now they know Shazier is out for a full season so they had all off season to game plan for that

 

The Steelers just dodged a major bullet to the Cap here with Bell's greed. RB's come a dime a dozen my friends, and as long as you have Big Ben and those WR clicking, as DeAngelo Williams showed last year in spot duty that almost any RB can have success in your offensive system.

I am sure that the front office will find a worthy replacement at a much cheaper rate and the Steeler offense will hardly lose a thing.

 

Perfectly said, Kyreal, except for the fact that Williams was a Steeler during the 2015-2016 seasons and not last year but I get what you mean. Interestingly, though, Williams took a dabble in pro wrestling in 2017.

 

Simple RR, a few reasons why:
1) Bell is a rare, Hall of Fame caliber talent. They don't grow on trees and they aren't easily replaced, even by committee. They are better WITH him as a team and far better positioned to compete for a title than without. The guy has no weaknesses outside of true breakaway speed. It isn't just production, its the match-up issues he presents, and sometimes.........forces teams to show their hand defensively pre-snap. He's a player you have to game plan and account for, which opens things up for everyone else. He is a true workhorse, 3-down do-it-all back and again......they are rare and not found in every draft. There are only about 5 of those in the entire league right now that can also be leaned on to carry an offense at times in games. It will be HARD for the team to replace what he does for the offense. Pitt's window with Ben is closing and this next year will likely be their last BEST-chance to win a title. Even if they truly got a steal in obtaining their next signal caller in Rudolph in exchange for the 3rd rounder for Bryant (who may be banned permanently now)...........there is a transition period in signal callers. Even Favre-Rodgers. Ben was great early on in his career in part because of the many good pieces around him (Bettis, Ward, Burress, Miller, Randel-El, good OL, good OC, good defense on the other side that gave his offense lots of chances and ability to mitigate mistakes).

2) The team invested heavily on offense in the draft (2010-2013) and its netted them five Pro-Bowl and 4 HOF caliber players beyond Ben (Pouncey, DeCastro, Bell, Brown, Villanueva), also allowed continuity of some solid WR corps. Keeping that side of the ball relatively stable has allowed the team to succeed and contend 2014-2017, while trying to rebuild a defense. Its a lot easier when you feel you can focus primarily on one side of the ball during the draft. Unfortunately some untimely injuries and mediocre defensive play in recent years prevented them from winning another championship. Bell leaving after this year requires them to now focus on at least trying to land another good RB, not just a good ILB to replace Shazier, who likely won't ever play again. Connor might be promising, but its not clear he can be anything more than a good complimentary piece in our backfield rather than a true workhorse back.

3) True, the last Steelers team to win it all ten years ago did so on the back of a great all-time defense............with Ben, a mediocre (at best) OL, mediocre backs in Parker/Mwelde Moore, and good but not great receivers (Holmes, Miller, and less than 100% at the time Ward)..................and on that defense were SEVERAL players that understood the league and team's cap situation at the time............Farrior, Harrison, Polamalu, Hampton, Keisel, Clark, Taylor, etc.........could have ALL commanded more in pay as free agents 2006-2010 and played elsewhere for top dollar, but they all made a calculation that being paid WELL as opposed to GREAT and chasing titles was preferable, given what was in place. And none of them demanded almost DOUBLE what the next highest at his position was being paid. You can't win it all primarily on defense anymore, especially with all the rule changes/penalties that favor offenses. You're not going to see another conference or league title game like Steelers/Ravens 09'. That Steelers team in 2008 and Seahawks team in 2013 would feature a lot of suspensions and penalties today. The Steelers led the league in every major defensive statistic in 08', Seattle close to that in 13'. They are anomalies, the latter of which LED THE LEAGUE in penalties and still shut down the best regular season offense in league history without a great complimentary offense.

4) Pitt doesn't low-ball extension offers, they are usually fair with the players they want to keep, often extending them a year early in good faith. They don't break the bank, but they make fair offers. They have with Bell each time......first $12.5 million per year, and $14-15 mil per year this go round. They typically structure their contracts to build in roster bonuses years 2-4 in any long term deal, but that is generally for CAP flexibility if they elect, not to simply protect the organization. Most of the time they convert roster bonuses to "signing bonus" at the beginning of the league year and spread it evenly over the reaminder. You can pretty much bank on the Steelers NEVER cutting a player they've signed long term until at least year-4 (Woodley) unless production greatly dips or the player simply can't stay on the field, or some other extraordinary circumstance arises. They don't cut bait quickly with players they value and sign long term, so any claims about things not being "TRULY GUARANTEED" and paid at the time of signing is crap. I know its true the only real "fully guaranteed" monies for any player, but with Pitt you can pretty much bet on whatever is on the contract thru year-3 at least being paid to the player. That's just how they operate. If Bell's offer included $45 million in guaranteed/base pay the first three years...........he was going to get that. The only thing that may have prevented that was blowing his ACL in consecutive seasons, or getting a series of long term suspensions this year and/or next (I think even his next one only garners a 4-gamer).

5) It's STUPID that when both parties involved in a negotiation WANT to make it happen, state that publicly, yet they cannot over a period of two years - and it hamstrings a team financially to have a player play on consecutive franchise tags, even during a time of salary cap escalation.