“I want to do it”

No, not the response of your 8th grade girlfriend who just called your bluff for the anticipated home run...

This, from an article that spouts LB wants a long term Steeler contract ...

www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2018/6/26/17505342/leveon-bell-on-signing-a-long-term-contract-with-the-steelers-i-want-to-do-it-news-rumors-nfl

so I'm posting a poll (or hope I can) to give a straight yea or nea on the seriousness of LB's contract negotiations over the long haul. IMO, keep in mind with our Oline and complimentary receiving corp, Bell will find little else in comparison to help his running career. But also keep in mind ...

"I'm not here for the money, it's all about team"
"lousy lyric'd rap "they make me the bad guy"
"I will not participate until I absolutely have too"
"I'm doing this for the running back position all throughout the NFL, not for me... etc"

I'm interested if anyone else in here thinks he's a crap sandwich with mad football skills who may very well take those skills elsewhere no matter what the Steeler Org. offers (cause I don't think it will ever be enough)

in your opinion, does he really want to do it and if so elaborate on the why ...


MoS: no, he's too in to himself and the money and has zero accountability to his team.

 

I believe if he had a long term contract he would dedicate himself a lot better to the team. They are already at 14.5 million a year for the tag. If the Steelers really want him they will have to go a little higher than firehalo I mean 14.5 to secure him. If Bell could stay healthy and clean he would make a great security blanket for Rudolph when he takes over.

 

I just don't think Bell thinks much about anything except money. He will go to the highest bidder and possibly find out what it's like to run behind a lesser quality line with a lesser QB. Hope he gets a lot of guaranteed money for his sake. The guy is unwilling to see the upside of signing with our Steelers for a little less and will likely suffer the consequences. Can't save a guy from himself. So be it.

We have all seen this play out before at this and other positions...Holmes, for one, always comes to mind. Come to think of it, I should also post this over on the thread about Big Ben making his receivers who they are and getting no credit for it moreso than his "star" (and in this case super bowl mvp, Holmes) receivers making him a great QB. It's as if folks ignore that he has been a great QB even years with subpar receivers, but like I said - for another thread.

Regarding Bell, to summarize: there are a whole lot of / a lot more of average and bad teams willing to break the bank for him than there are good to great teams (for they manage their payroll better than to pay him what he wants).

 

If the Steelers sign him long term I'll assume they believe they can make the numbers work and I'll get on board. With Shazier now off the books for 2019 there isn't a whole lot of need for cap space but the following year:

2020
Ben Roethlisberger
Joe Haden
Maurkice Pouncey
Marcus Gilbert
Bud Dupree
Sean Davis
Javon Hargrave

Can the Steelers draft well enough to replace these guys if the money isn't there? Have they already...?

QB - Mason Rudolph
CB - Cam Sutton, Mike Hilton, Brian Allen
C - B.J. Finney
T - Jerald Hawkins, Chukwuma, Okorafor
OLB - Keion Adams
Safety - Terrell Edmunds, Marcus Allen,
Nose Tackle - Joshua Frazier

 

Time will tell.

 

He wants a long term deal at his price. $9 million a year would make him the highest paid RB on a long term deal. I think the Steelers offered him too much if it is true about the $13 million a year offer.

 

But he is a hell of a lot better than the next highest paid back. Freeman is the one screwing up RB salaries. He is nowhere near worth 8+ million a year. Bell is easily worth 2x what Freeman gets. So when you look at value you’re fucked because other teams way overpay for crap performance. Stafford making 30 million a year screws up the QBs market. It is just the way it is. Desperate teams make the price for good players go way up.

 

I wouldn’t say Bell should get paid twice as much. Freeman had a higher YPC and YPR than Bell last season. Bell gets his production from volume of touches.

 

Bell makes Freeman look pedestrian.

 

Put Freeman on the Steelers and Bell on Atlanta and I think you'd be talking a different story to be honest with you gid.

 

Freeman splits time and still puts up amazing #s

 

IMO, we don't need Bell or any other back to be the best in the NFL. We do need someone who can keep defenses off balance enough to keep our passing O in line and in that regards, RB would need to be able to protect Ben. I would take Freeman over Bell at existing prices in a heart beat. Yeah,Bell is the best in the business ... and in 3 days we can say goodbye to the best in the business for 2019 and beyond. Don't get me wrong, if they do sign him I will be ecstatic. As beach said, if they do, that means they have plans to pay the rest of our team in the ensuing years too.

If they don't ... belly up to the bar boys, it only gets more exciting from here. Go Steelers

 

we're on the clock ... 24 hours tick-tock ... No matter which way it goes, I'll be glad to be rid of the melodrama and get to football ...

and see ... I'm actually in great company...

"I'm looking forward to talking about some actual football in just a couple more weeks." Tim

 

Starting to hear a bit more optimism than before. Maybe it’ll get done. Still think he plays on the franchise tag and leaves next year, but I hope the deal gets done.

 

I would rather him walk after this season than over pay for him.

 

Deadline is passed, no new contract for Bell. This will be his final year in Pittsburgh

 

Did they announce anything yet? They could still be waiting for the league office to approve.

 

Went to nfl.com , they really didn’t get anything done. I don’t understand how the Steelers really were negotiating when they offered him less than the tag.

 

This kinda went just like I thought it would. As I said in my first post on this thread:

"I just don't think Bell thinks much about anything except money. He will go to the highest bidder and possibly find out what it's like to run behind a lesser quality line with a lesser QB. Hope he gets a lot of guaranteed money for his sake. The guy is unwilling to see the upside of signing with our Steelers for a little less and will likely suffer the consequences. Can't save a guy from himself. So be it........... to summarize: there are a whole lot of / a lot more average and bad teams willing to break the bank for him than there are good to great teams (for they manage their payroll better than to pay him what he wants)."

 

Now I wonder what David Johnson gets in Arizona. 14 million a year wasn’t good enough for Bell. What does he really think he’ll get on the open market? I honestly don’t think he will get much more than what the Steelers offered on the open market