Le'Veon Bell Unlikely to Report to Steelers by Tuesday, Would Be Ineligible for Season

[NC2017]

I guess Bell is advising himself since this strategy is beyond description.

https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/11/10/l...ttsburgh-steelers-ineligible-play-season-2018

 

[interrobang]

Ask Dez Bryant (albeit a different scenario) how quickly your career can change

 

[BBrown]

I guess Bell is advising himself since this strategy is beyond description.

https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/11/10/l...ttsburgh-steelers-ineligible-play-season-2018

Bye Felicia. LOL.

 

[Op2]

Given that he's gone this long he might as well stay out the entire season. When he signs a new contract next year he'll get $30-40 M guaranteed but if he suffered an injury in the last part of this season that may not happen. In retrospect he may wish he had signed before the year with the Steelers but he's not at that decision point anymore.

I think...but this could be wrong...that the Steelers offered him $35-38 M guaranteed. It'll be interesting to see if he tops that when he signs next year. But I bet Conner's success hurts his market. It makes it look like anyone can do that well in the Steelers system.

 

[91Joe95]

Read an article where his agent thinks they found a loophole. As someone who picked up Connor, I perfectly support their reasoning.

 

[91Joe95]

Ask Dez Bryant (albeit a different scenario) how quickly your career can change

Turned down 3 yrs $21 million in offseason from Baltimore.

 

[nits74]

Given that he's gone this long he might as well stay out the entire season. When he signs a new contract next year he'll get $30-40 M guaranteed but if he suffered an injury in the last part of this season that may not happen. In retrospect he may wish he had signed before the year with the Steelers but he's not at that decision point anymore.

I think...but this could be wrong...that the Steelers offered him $35-38 M guaranteed. It'll be interesting to see if he tops that when he signs next year. But I bet Conner's success hurts his market. It makes it look like anyone can do that well in the Steelers system.

Particularly with the OL they have. But, there are a few stupid organizations out there that may give him what he wants.

 

[Obliviax]

With Connor playing so well, one has to wonder if Bell is just the beneficiary of a great OL.

He won't get the money to make up for the loss from this season. He lost ~ $9m this year and turned down a 5 yr-$70m contract. I'll be surprised if he makes anywhere near that. Does a GM really want that kind of player in the locker room? Is he really that good if Connor rushes just as well? Not worth the risk and cap hit. One of the worst contract decisions in NFL history.

 

[razpsu]

Let him go. You look great when you have the best offensive line in football, great wide receivers, good duo at tight end and a good qb. I hope he ends up behind a bad offensive line etc and then see how great he is. This is selfish plain and simple. I hate when commentators on tv all ex sports guys like Vilma who says he agrees with bell. Just sad and ridiculous that he would lose 14 million. Wow.

 

[pandaczar12]

It makes it look like anyone can do that well in the Steelers system.

Just imagine if Saquon was able to play on that offense!

 

[Op2]

Just imagine if Saquon was able to play on that offense!

I had a bold but possibly stupid idea. Barkley was doing so good but the Giants were so bad it occurred to me that maybe they should have traded him to a team in contention. (The trade deadline has now passed.) A player that good playing for so cheap (because he's on a rookie contract) would probably fetch a ton of draft picks.

Yes, the Giants wouldn't have Barkley anymore if they did that but they'd have picks to rebuild. RBs careers can sometimes be short and it's sad to see great RB years wasted on a team that stinks. From the looks of things the Giants will stink for at least one more year beyond this if not more. Those are prime SB years going to waste. The Giants would be worse without Barkley but they're 1-7 even with him so it's not like it matters.

 

[BobPSU92]

FIRE. BELL.

 

[2020 is Our Year]

When he signs a new contract next year he'll get $30-40 M guaranteed but if he suffered an injury in the last part of this season that may not happen.

Will he?

 

[androcles]

...on Thursday night I believe the announcer said Bell was losing almost $900,000 for every game he missed this season...!
...he could have at least played and donated the money to his Alma Mater to pay off some of their obligations from their recent scandal..

 

[nittnee]

Given that he's gone this long he might as well stay out the entire season. When he signs a new contract next year he'll get $30-40 M guaranteed but if he suffered an injury in the last part of this season that may not happen. In retrospect he may wish he had signed before the year with the Steelers but he's not at that decision point anymore.

I think...but this could be wrong...that the Steelers offered him $35-38 M guaranteed. It'll be interesting to see if he tops that when he signs next year. But I bet Conner's success hurts his market. It makes it look like anyone can do that well in the Steelers system.

I doubt that. This is really a dumb move. I could see if he was sitting out on a $3-4M contract, but he will give up $14.1M if he sits out the year! He will not be able to make that up. He was going to get that amount next year from the Steelers or someone else anyway. The salary he gave up this year he will never get back -- no one is going to pay him that kind of money in three years (when the guaranteed money goes away).

Combine this with the success of Conner, one of the best OLs in the NFL, his questionable judgment of this entire ordeal, and the suspensions, and he is not likely to get the Gurley-type deal he thinks he is worth. I predicted after he didn't take the Steelers' offer that he will end up signing a deal no better, and with a lousy team -- I am sticking by that. Most of the good teams are set at RB (and several of the bad teams) most at one-third the cost.

 

[Crusher1950]

Good!

 

[PennStateNate]

I might be in the minority here, but as a Steelers fan, I hope he reports. Conner has been great, but watching him in the concussion tent Thursday has me worried about his health come PO time. He has been taking a beating. If he is healthy he would start, but Bell would be a great plan 2, plus you imagine them both in the backfield. Defenses wouldn't know what to do.

The Pens won 2 cups with 2 NHL starting goaltenders. I think like goaltending in hockey, running back in the NFL is a must. Having 2 of the top 5 in the league is great for a super bowl run.

 

[Ski]

LeVeon likes weed. Doesn't affect his brain at all.

 

[jrd23psu]

Read an article where his agent thinks they found a loophole. As someone who picked up Connor, I perfectly support their reasoning.

His agent found a “loophole” that literally everyone else already knew. His agent sounds like a turd if he didn’t know that the third time you are franchised by a team you get QB money.

 

[2020 is Our Year]

His agent found a “loophole” that literally everyone else already knew. His agent sounds like a turd if he didn’t know that the third time you are franchised by a team you get QB money.

True but I'm still not believing the agent wants him to sit out the entire season. I feel like this is a situation of the player ignoring the agent. As the beat writers in Pittsburgh have been saying, Bell just doesn't really care about football. He's having fun with the attention, rapping and partying while knowing that if he wants to play football next year he'll make very good money doing so.

 

[PearlSUJam]

True but I'm still not believing the agent wants him to sit out the entire season. I feel like this is a situation of the player ignoring the agent. As the beat writers in Pittsburgh have been saying, Bell just doesn't really care about football. He's having fun with the attention, rapping and partying while knowing that if he wants to play football next year he'll make very good money doing so.

If Leveon doesn't sign and get paid, his agent doesn't get paid. Agents get a percentage of the player's salary so of course the agent wants him to sign.

 

[2020 is Our Year]

If Leveon doesn't sign and get paid, his agent doesn't get paid. Agents get a percentage of the player's salary so of course the agent wants him to sign.

I agree with you which I why I don't understand why some believe his agent is behind this strategy.

 

[WestSideLion]

I agree with you which I why I don't understand why some believe his agent is behind this strategy.

I find it unfathomable that he’s going to sit the entire year. As others noted, he’s not going to make up $14 million on his next contract. My gut still says he reports tomorrow.

 

[1978lions]

Based on his reasoning, if he refused to play the 1st 9 games because 855K per game was not enough to subject himself to wear and tear or injury, why would he return now for as many as 3-4 playoff games where he would make as little as 27K, 49K, and 107k, if the Steelers would win the SB.

 

[sluggo72]

Hasn’t he already forfeited most of that $14 M?
I really don’t know how NFL $ works - but it would seem to me that he wouldn’t get paid for time he chose to “not be there”

and that's the point, if he were to show up he would receive like $855,000 ($14 mil divided by 16) for the weeks he is active, they could get an exemption for 2 weeks to get him in shape, but there would be fight on how much he gets paid for that. So if he doesnt show, he is out his $14 mil and WSL point is, how do you make that money up? Some have argued, that because he didnt play this year, that would extend his career another year and he makes it up that way. IDK, RB's are not all that valued in the NFL any more. Look the Redskins got AP for like a $1 mil, and that has seemed to work out pretty well.

 

[WestSideLion]

Hasn’t he already forfeited most of that $14 M?
I really don’t know how NFL $ works - but it would seem to me that he wouldn’t get paid for time he chose to “not be there”

He won’t get paid for the time he missed. But my assumption is that he will need to make the remaining salary this year. There are only so many chances in like to make that kind of money!

 

[PennStateNate]

Just hope Conner stays healthy. If he goes down Steelers are done.

 

[Obliviax]

He screwed up. Its a perfect example of a guy putting emotion over logic. Booger said it last night, the Steelers didn't get one over on Bell. But he'll never make that money up. Plus, I have to wonder what team will now pay a guy that kind of money given his suspension and hold-out history (and age). I'd be very weary of investing that kind of money on a guy that may not be there for several different reasons. And while some may say you don't have to pay him, you have to invest in a starting RB in terms of how your offense is constructed.

 

[WestSideLion]

He screwed up. Its a perfect example of a guy putting emotion over logic. Booger said it last night, the Steelers didn't get one over on Bell. But he'll never make that money up. Plus, I have to wonder what team will now pay a guy that kind of money given his suspension and hold-out history (and age). I'd be very weary of investing that kind of money on a guy that may not be there for several different reasons. And while some may say you don't have to pay him, you have to invest in a starting RB in terms of how your offense is constructed.

A big complaint we heard from Bell’s camp was that the Steelers only guaranteed one year in his contract. What team is going to top that now? With his baggage, I don’t know. The Jets?

 

[Op2]

Based on his reasoning, if he refused to play the 1st 9 games because 855K per game was not enough to subject himself to wear and tear or injury, why would he return now for as many as 3-4 playoff games where he would make as little as 27K, 49K, and 107k, if the Steelers would win the SB.

That's a good point. The playoffs are a big deal for a team and its fans but in financial terms for individual players it's not much money so why risk injury? It's sort of like a college player sitting out his teams bowl game.

In retrospect maybe the Steelers should have traded for a decent RB to back up and/or spell Conner but maybe they didn't realize at the time that Bell wasn't coming back. If Conner stays healthy and doesn't wear down then the Steelers are fine at RB but those are two big "ifs."

 

[LemonEars]

Just like Antonio Brown, Bell is a self-centered A-Hole with a double digit IQ. If Art Rooney and/or Chuck Noll were still in charge, both Brown and Bell would be long gone. The Steelers will be better off without Brown and Bell. The Steelers' success is almost totally due to their great OL.

 

[Nitt1300]

I think he has a point when he says RBs are underpaid relative to their contributions to a team. If he's willing to put his money where his mouth is, that's OK with me- not many people will do that.

 

[WDLion]

With Connor playing so well, one has to wonder if Bell is just the beneficiary of a great OL.

He won't get the money to make up for the loss from this season. He lost ~ $9m this year and turned down a 5 yr-$70m contract. I'll be surprised if he makes anywhere near that. Does a GM really want that kind of player in the locker room? Is he really that good if Connor rushes just as well? Not worth the risk and cap hit. One of the worst contract decisions in NFL history.

OL is playing well but Connor gets a lot of his yards on his own.

 

[Obliviax]

I think he has a point when he says RBs are underpaid relative to their contributions to a team. If he's willing to put his money where his mouth is, that's OK with me- not many people will do that.

Cool chart. Thanks.

QBs and people most respond for stopping the pass (DE And CB) Are the highest paid

Does you were the league is today

 

[Op2]

I think he has a point when he says RBs are underpaid relative to their contributions to a team. If he's willing to put his money where his mouth is, that's OK with me- not many people will do that.

Conner is a 2nd year 3rd round draft pick making over $14 million less than the Steelers were going to pay Bell and if you weren't following the season and just now tuned in and look at their RB stats you'd assume that Bell was playing. IMO that says that whoever is playing RB isn't the most important factor.

Bell skipping the season resulted in the Steelers getting about the same quality of play at RB they had with Bell but with $14 million more to spend on other players the next couple years. If Conner can go the entire year without getting injured then Bell skipping the season will turn out to have been a blessing for the Steelers.

 

[WestSideLion]

I think he has a point when he says RBs are underpaid relative to their contributions to a team. If he's willing to put his money where his mouth is, that's OK with me- not many people will do that.

Great chart. Thanks for sharing! It’s intersting that RB has such a large spread between max and min for the top-10. It’s almost 3x.

That’s indicates a few possibilities: 1) teams believe the true RB talents are few and far between (I’d argue Bell is in this group), 2) they are still willing to pay those top talents, 3) the shift to a pass-first league has driven the overall deemphasis of RB talent and salary (look at the pass-related positions on that list...even defenders that impact the opposing pass game like DE and CB are at the top).

LB is also interesting. I wonder whether 3-4 rush LBs are included here and pulling up the sample.

 

[PearlSUJam]

If Conner can go the entire year without getting injured then Bell skipping the season will turn out to have been a blessing for the Steelers.

This is true, but you know if the Steelers make it into the playoffs and Conner is ineffective and they lose, the critics will have a field day. Not that anyone should give a rat's a$$ about the critics.

 

[Op2]

This is true, but you know if the Steelers make it into the playoffs and Conner is ineffective and they lose, the critics will have a field day. Not that anyone should give a rat's a$$ about the critics.

Probably so but the Steelers had made it into the playoffs then stalled several times with Bell as well.

 

[BBG65]

His agent found a “loophole” that literally everyone else already knew. His agent sounds like a turd if he didn’t know that the third time you are franchised by a team you get QB money.

If Bell doesn't sign and play this year, 2019 would only be his 2nd franchise tag and he'd get similar money as 2018. However, I'd say there's almost no chance of that happening. The Steelers will be glad to say adios to him.

 

[jrd23psu]

If Bell doesn't sign and play this year, 2019 would only be his 2nd franchise tag and he'd get similar money as 2018. However, I'd say there's almost no chance of that happening. The Steelers will be glad to say adios to him.

I don't believe he has to sign the tag for it to be a binding tag for him. There is some ambiguity to this but I believe it still counts as a tag offer at this point so I'm pretty sure if the Steelers would tag him again it would be at the QB rate.

I think it's a moot point, though. He won't play another game for the team. Frankly, they don't need him to.