Answering a question today, Bell said he’s prepared to sit out the 2018 season or retire before he plays on another franchise tag.
Answering a question today, Bell said he’s prepared to sit out the 2018 season or retire before he plays on another franchise tag.
Originally Posted by Dwinsgames
Enthroned Into The Good Old Boys Club - 2024
well thats great to hear
Firstly, Bell will not sit the whole season and not make 14-15 millions.
But yes, it'll be time to pay this man
Array title="pczach has a reputation beyond repute">
Just shut up and play football to the end of the year. Don't get hurt, play your ass off, and help bring home a Lombardi Trophy.
The rest will take care of itself.
Says every franchise tag candidate ever. They all end up playing. Aren't happy about it.
Bell might sit, but I kinda doubt it.
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Poor him, he'll be mad about making 12 million a year.
Array title="DesertSteel has a reputation beyond repute">
People who claim that the player has no culpability because he is just answering the question that is asked are so naive.
Array title="DesertSteel has a reputation beyond repute">
I hope he retires. The juice of 4 YPC is not worth the squeeze of his aggravation. He has no burst.
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Is there a link to these quotes?
Either of those would be supremely stupid in terms of actually making money.
I am not opposed to giving him a long-term deal, but it is looking like this is a pretty clear lead-up to him having unrealistic expectations again.
So then he will probably do the same thing - holdout/shitfit through training camp, finally sign the franchise tag right before the opener. It sucks that we are obliged to start every season for the past three years, going on four, without our top offensive weapon. First two from idiot drug suspensions, this year and the next from self-imposed stupidity where he shows up obviously not ready to play and performs poorly for the same length of time, and might as well be suspended.
Does he not realize that had he shown up prepared, he could've easily had a 1,500-yard rushing, 800-plus yard receiving season, led the league in rushing by far, and been the clear #1 back in the league, instead of merely being among the leaders, and could've basically gotten whatever he wanted? That holdout actually cost him money and a ton of leverage.
I know "Yeah, but if it wasn't for that, I would've been #1 so they gotta pay me like I actually was #1." Well, maybe if it only happened once, but with him there's always been a "yeah, but if." Being out or ineffective three times in a row at the start of the season is a genuine liability. Just once I'd like to see what the guy can do with a full year where he's ready to play and there's no drama and there's no bullshit. He WILL get paid a lot.
Sadly, that will probably be with another team, because when he inevitably turns down another huge offer he'll end up with the franchise tag, which means he probably will not even entertain another offer from the Steelers ever again.
See you Space Cowboy ...
Man... Why can't some of these guys just say "no comment" and move on to the next question
"Zeds dead baby, Zeds dead." - Butch
Array title="DesertSteel has a reputation beyond repute">
I don't think Bell has ever been accused of being smart.
Array title="stillers4me has a reputation beyond repute">
Joe Haden took less money just to play in Pittsburgh. He probably would be happy playing the playoffs for free.
Array title="SteelerFanInStl has a reputation beyond repute">
I just wish that they'd leave these kind of comments until after the season is over. We've still got games to play.
“I believe the game is designed to reward the ones who hit the hardest. If you can't take it, you shouldn't play!” - Jack Lambert
This!
Exactly what I was thinking when I heard this crap ! I see what he's thinking, but damn man wait until AFTER the play-offs to talk crap. Make a statement during the playoff run to the Lombardi to give yourself some fire power. Jags have one hell of a defense that may just shut him completely down....which lost the game the first time we played them.
I wasn't expecting that comment, and I bet his agent wasn't either. If he want's to stay here, he'll have to restructure. We've got cap space issues.
"You've heard people brag about 'being in the zone'. They don't know what the Hell being in the zone is about. I played in the NFL for 15 years and I was only in the zone that one time." - "Mean" Joe Greene on the 1974 playoff victory over Oakland
Pay this man his money.
FFS he made the All Pro team as a RB, and flex player.
PAY THE MAN
Array title="AtlantaDan has a reputation beyond repute">
He made it as a flex player because the RB position was already taken by Todd Gurley (aka the best running back in football who bad better stats as a runner and receiver)
Bell - 1291 yds rushing/321 carries (4.0 yds average) & 655 yds receiving/85 receptions (7.7 yd average)
http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/stats...25/leveon-bell
Gurley - 1305 yds rushing/279 carries (4.7 yds average) & 788 yds receiving/64 receptions (12.3 yd average)
http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/stats...todd-gurley-ii
Gurley is not getting the $$$ Bell wants either when his contract is up
One season does not make Gurley the best RB in football. Bell had a down season due to missing time during camp and came up 10-13 yards(?) short of Gurley.
Gurley is irrelevant, it's about what Bell does for this team, which is a lot. (Who is to say Gurley won't be asking for that amount also?)
... and whose fault was that?
He could've been way ahead of Gurley - but guess what, he wasn't, because of his own decision. He could've played from Week 1 the last couple years before that, but he didn't because of his own decision. At this point I would say his track record is to basically miss the first month of the season over stupid shit, since that's now been the majority of his career. So yeah, he plays lights-out for 12 games but finishes behind the guy who played 16, I'd have to say the guy who came ready to play and showed up for all 16 wins that one.
See you Space Cowboy ...
It Bells fault, also the o-line didn't help, they struggled also.
I think any NFL fan would agree that Bell is still the best RB in the game. 1 season doesn't change that. I'm sure you didn't believe Julio Jones was better than AB last year(or the year before that), or Zeke Elliot was the best RB in the NFL.
Bell means so much to this team, everyone should be hoping the Steelers sign him to a long term contract.
Array title="SteelerFanInStl has a reputation beyond repute">
I agree. Last year Gurley was terrible. This year he was on the top offense in the NFL and was the primary focus. The Rams didn't even have a 1000 yard receiver. Their offense all ran through him. Nothing against Gurley because I like him but let's hold off before we appoint him as the best RB in the NFL.
Bell is a very valuable piece to this team. Anyone who thinks that he can be easily replaced is kidding themselves. I hope that we agree to a new contract with him but I'll leave it up to the front office to decide his worth.
“I believe the game is designed to reward the ones who hit the hardest. If you can't take it, you shouldn't play!” - Jack Lambert
Array title="pczach has a reputation beyond repute">
I have no problem with them paying him a fair deal....but he's not worth quarterback money......He's not. And I might be his biggest fan.
He deserves a big contract, but $17mil a year for 5 years? That's crazy talk.
All he had to say was what he said in his tweet. He didn't need to drop and atomic bomb on the organization a couple days before their first playoff game. If the fans love the player and are on his side, and he was available for nearly every game, and the team wins big...... the organization feels the pressure even more to sign the man. He's the one that hasn't been available at the beginning and the end of every season. In his tweet, he talks about team. In the interview, it was all about him getting his, and sitting out on his "brothers". Team just left his mind for a moment there.
He's the one asking to be paid like a #1 RB and a #2 WR combined. Nobody made him say that or demand that. He's an amazing talent that I'm ecstatic to have on this team. However, he can't do it by himself. No running back can. If there aren't holes to run through, running backs don't gain a lot of yards. He's a major piece of the offense, but he's still just a piece.
If he really feels this way, let him sit next year or retire. He'll be the one not making any money. You would think a little talk with Joe Haden about playing for a bad organization and a horrible team just isn't worth any amount of money if you can make similar money with a good team and organization.
Like I said in my last post. Just shut up, go out and play your ass, off and win a championship. It goes a long way with people. If he does that, he will get paid. Maybe not what he's asking for....but a lot.
Pay him how much? At what cost of other signings?
Hater = Realist
Well, let him test free agency and see if he can be the first RB to break the 370 curse. Good luck kid, history is not on your side
I think the steelers should draft a RB very early in the next draft (first 2 round) if Bell don't sign a long term contract.
I know it will be impossible to find a good RB like Bell, especially since Bell is a complete RB (we must not forget his quality as a blocker and receiver) but at the same time, in the second half of the season in 2015, we survived with DeAngelo Williams be being 6-2 with 6 games of more than 30 points in a game.We have almost been in the AFC title game with our 3rd RB and without Brown at Denver.
I mean, the steelers offense is good enough to not have a collapse if our next RB if Bell leaves is good as Williams was in 2015 and the difference is that he would be younger.
I hope that Bell will stay for a few years, but if it's not the case, the steelers must find a RB in the next draft, which is possible, even if he will not be good like Bell, but I have not trust in Conner as receiver and as blocker, but the steelers must find one in the next draft if they are not able to sign a long term deal to Bell.
Here's the stark reality of it. If Bell turns down another deal similar to the one he was offered, he'll play on the franchise tag and the next offer he gets (from someone else) will probably be significantly lower because of his age.
27-year-old running backs are a risk to fall off at any time, and 30-year-old RBs are a near-certainty. So he will probably be getting offers for more like 3 years. Or he'll get a 5-year contract but the last 2-3 of that will be funny money (the team can walk away at any time in the second half of it), and he won't like it.
While going through all this bullshit, he will have decreased his negotiating position because he has roughly 3 years ahead of him instead of 5 that teams will see as reasonably sure that he can still play at a top-5 level. On the other hand, he will have been paid well for the two years in the meantime, to the tune of almost $30 million.
So basically the whole thing is a lot of running around for nothing. He still gets about the same amount of money over the same number of years, only he gets really angry about it, and probably switches teams and pisses a lot of people off.
CHAMPIONSHIP!
See you Space Cowboy ...
Array title="GBMelBlount has a reputation beyond repute">
While I am thankful we have Bell, I think we might get just as much value and lower our risk if we invest the money we are paying Bell in a more affordable top-shelf running back AND a top-shelf tight end, if he retired or does not sign a reasonable deal.
"With love, with patience, and with Faith
....She'll make her way" ~ Natalie Merchant
Array title="AtlantaDan has a reputation beyond repute">
Bell tries to walk back what he said by sending a tweet.
Showing some skillz for modern politics with that trick if he decides to retire.
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