seafoam1 1,879 Posted July 16, 2018 Bell tweets out: "To all my Steeler fans, my desire always has been to retire a Steeler...both sides worked extremely hard today to make that happen, but the NFL is a hard business at times...to the fans that had hope, Im sorry we let youu down but trust me, 2018 will be my best season to date..." And this comes in after Adam Schefter's comment: "I think it's possible Le'Veon Bell sits out the first half of the year if he doesn't get a long-term deal done," ESPN's Adam Schefter said on SiriusXM Radio (h/t Ross Tucker of SiriusXM). "The goal at that point would be to hit 2019 free agency healthy, not rack up another 400 touches." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Smileseers 54 Posted July 17, 2018 Adam Schefter's comment was made before the deadline it should be noted. He is very agent friendly and that is how he gets his insider info. He reports informations that the agents want to put out when the agents want it put out. As a Bell owner and a Steeler fan I am very disappointed a deal could not be reached. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ralphster 274 Posted July 17, 2018 Schefty's tweet came from the agents trying to push for leverage. nuff said. When it comes down to it, he'll report and do some major work for PIT. He's auditioning for his next contract after all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
listen2me 23 1,541 Posted July 17, 2018 Adam Schefter's comment was made before the deadline it should be noted. He is very agent friendly and that is how he gets his insider info. He reports informations that the agents want to put out when the agents want it put out. As a Bell owner and a Steeler fan I am very disappointed a deal could not be reached. Meh, I guess. If I was a Steelers fan I would sort of be thankful. Who wants to pay a RB that sort of money? A RB who has been suspended and has carried a heavy workload entering his late 20s? On the flip side Ben and Brown font have a ton of time left. So I understand wanting to been full strength and try to win now while you can. But long term? Id rather not pay any RB the money he wanted. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
clean90 6 Posted July 17, 2018 Is it true that the Steelers cannot use the Franchise Tag on Bell again next year? I am having a hard time finding a definitive statement on this. EDIT: I found one. ESPN is reporting that Bell will be a true free agent next year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seafoam1 1,879 Posted July 17, 2018 Bell will get to camp just before the preseason ends and be great this year, pending injury as usual. Pitt will use the heck out of him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TBayXXXVII 2,116 Posted July 17, 2018 Honestly, I would be impressed if he showed up before November 1st. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thePRO 78 Posted July 17, 2018 Does he still get his $7 million if he shows up after November 1st? Think he wants his $$$ so he'll be showing up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike FF Today 607 Posted July 17, 2018 Bell's agent suggested today that the RB will likley skip camp but be ready for Week 1... same as last year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pee-diddy 27 Posted July 17, 2018 Bell will be a Las Vegas Raider in 2019. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
envoy9 5 Posted July 18, 2018 So, Bell just turned down a 5 year guaranteed $33 million deal, with incentives that could make it worth up o $70 million. I think he is insane. I get that he is amazing.... I get that he may have a stellar year, but the market for aging RBs is not good- and even if he puts up a career year, I would question whether he gets a better deal in free agency. Just look at what has happened in MLB with the market for veteran players- I just see him getting pennies on the dollar because of his age and position. I really like the guy and would love to draft him for FANTASY purposes this year, but I would be interested to hear if there are folks out there that disagree with me and think he can get a bigger payday than this $33-70 million dollar offer he rejected. Thoughts? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brutal Brutus 182 Posted July 18, 2018 Hes getting $14 million this year so it's really only an extra $20 mill in guaranteed. Depends how obtainable the incentives are. Hitting the open market uninjured is almost always better financially, he just has to get there in tact. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ralphster 274 Posted July 18, 2018 So, Bell just turned down a 5 year guaranteed $33 million deal, with incentives that could make it worth up o $70 million. I think he is insane. I get that he is amazing.... I get that he may have a stellar year, but the market for aging RBs is not good- and even if he puts up a career year, I would question whether he gets a better deal in free agency. Just look at what has happened in MLB with the market for veteran players- I just see him getting pennies on the dollar because of his age and position. I really like the guy and would love to draft him for FANTASY purposes this year, but I would be interested to hear if there are folks out there that disagree with me and think he can get a bigger payday than this $33-70 million dollar offer he rejected. Thoughts? In the NFL the whole "5 years, 70 million" is basically a lie. The guaranteed money on the deal is the only important detail. 5 years/70 million isn't sh!t when the team can cut you in 2 years with 40 million remaining on your deal. Bell has made roughly 26 mil the last 2 years, meaning 30 mil the next 2 years of the proposed PIT deal isn't much of a raise. So his next team will probably guarantee ~38 to 40 mil on his next deal. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
redsrback 30 Posted July 18, 2018 Bell will be a Las Vegas Raider in 2019. I also was thinking this, Raiders will get another Lynch after Pittsburg runs the tank dry. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TBayXXXVII 2,116 Posted July 18, 2018 Bell's agent suggested today that the RB will likley skip camp but be ready for Week 1... same as last year. Yeah, I heard that yesterday on NFL Radio. I'm a cynic on these things though. I think he plays 8 games this season. Either he holds out or "tweaks something" in Week 1 or 2 and misses the next like... 9 or 10 games or whatever, but when it comes draft time, I'm betting on under 8.5 when it comes to games played. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TBayXXXVII 2,116 Posted July 18, 2018 I also was thinking this, Raiders will get another Lynch after Pittsburg runs the tank dry. I think he's going to find out that no one will pay him more than $12M next year and he re-signs with the Steelers for the contract he just turned down. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kilroy69 994 Posted July 20, 2018 Is it true that the Steelers cannot use the Franchise Tag on Bell again next year? I am having a hard time finding a definitive statement on this. EDIT: I found one. ESPN is reporting that Bell will be a true free agent next year. I think you can do it 3 times and by the 3rd they would be paying him like 20 mil a year Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
clean90 6 Posted July 20, 2018 I think you can do it 3 times and by the 3rd they would be paying him like 20 mil a year Thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seafoam1 1,879 Posted July 21, 2018 Barring injury, Pitt will get $14.55 million of work out of Bell this year. They will run the wheels off of him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
polecatt 402 Posted July 21, 2018 We'll see. I'm sure he will have a good season if he can stay on the field. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Smileseers 54 Posted July 22, 2018 A player can only receive the franchise 3 times in his career no matter how many teams he plays on. The third franchise tag is a 44% increase from the second franchise tag. So for Bell it would be a little under $20 million for the Steelers to tag him for 2019. With his recent offer he rejected of $30 million guaranteed, which was front loaded for the first two years, paying an extra $4 million if he is healthy and not in trouble doesn't seem like such a stretch. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TBayXXXVII 2,116 Posted July 22, 2018 By declining that last contract, Bell cost himself many millions of dollars. Many. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seafoam1 1,879 Posted July 22, 2018 By declining that last contract, Bell cost himself many millions of dollars. Many. Only if he gets a terrible injury. How much was guaranteed from the steelers? If he stays healthy this year, he will end up with a large payday next year. Dude has made about 30 million (including this coming year) over his career. Unless he spent it all he should be fine to take the chance. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TBayXXXVII 2,116 Posted July 23, 2018 Only if he gets a terrible injury. How much was guaranteed from the steelers? If he stays healthy this year, he will end up with a large payday next year. Dude has made about 30 million (including this coming year) over his career. Unless he spent it all he should be fine to take the chance. From what I've heard, the Steelers offered him a 5 year deal with an AAV of $14M. No one knew how much was guaranteed. But, I think it's safe to assume that the first 2 years were. I don't think any team will guarantee him more than $28M. I think the best offer he gets is a 4-yr/$40M deal with the first 2 guaranteed. Even if they do guarantee the first 3 seasons, that means he's only guaranteed to make $30M. As long as he's not cut in 2 seasons (which I don't think he will be), with the Steelers, he'll make another $12M on over that number. I'm not saying he's going to be broke, I'm just saying that he's going to end up getting less than what he would have gotten had he just signed the deal with the Steelers. According to Bell's agent and other rumors out there, Bell was looking for $16/17M per year. I don't think anyone is going to give him close to that... nor are they going to give him over $30M guaranteed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ray_T 589 Posted July 23, 2018 I think he is hoping to play out the franchise tag one more time to increase his leverage for next year. risky game, but potentially profitable. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
polecatt 402 Posted July 23, 2018 I think he is hoping to play out the franchise tag one more time to increase his leverage for next year. risky game, but potentially profitable. Maybe so but I don't think it will work. They have seemed close to cutting him short in the past two seasons. Up the price and give him another year's wear and tear, I see them letting him loose. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ray_T 589 Posted July 23, 2018 Maybe so but I don't think it will work. They have seemed close to cutting him short in the past two seasons. Up the price and give him another year's wear and tear, I see them letting him loose. very possible. Do you want an overpaid player when you are going through a rebuild with a rookie QB when Rothlisberger retires? They have to be thinking about where they go once Ben retires. Might be easier to gut the team and start fresh. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites