Obviously he just hates Pitt and doesn't want James Conner to start.
OT: Le'veon Bell
- Thread starter pittdan77
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True, Blount was the Eagles rb in the super bowl, he was undrafted and made $1.25 M
Pats had Dion Lewis (5th round) and James White (4th round).
Sure, a great rb is wonderful to have, but not at the expense of sucking up all the money for the other positions. I think trading him for a couple first round picks would be the Patriots MO
Wow, a lot of reasonable takes in here. Agree that he needs to maximize his earnings now given the shelf life for RBs (remember the Demarco Murray hype two years ago? He's not on a roster right now.) Also agree that it's not a position that the Steelers should invest in given the volatility and how fungible RBs are.
It's not the agent's fault. The agent negotiated him a heck of a deal 2 years in a row and recommended to Bell that he accept it. This year, it is reported to be 70 million for 5 years which is 14 per year. Bell isn't so much greedy as he is very self centered, craves attention, likes being the bad boy and couldn't care less about the team.
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.c...-made-leveon-bell-an-offer-he-couldnt-accept/
If it is true that the Steelers were only guaranteeing $10 million, then I understand why he passed. I mean, he has $14.5 million in hand the moment he signs. It would actually be well below market since Fournette and Elliot both had guarantees north of $20 million and there are at least seven other RB's who had guarantees over $10 million. I think most of the league considers him "elite" so if he hits the market healthy, he's looking at a floor in the neighborhood of $30 million guaranteed.
Nice work if you can get it.
If it is true that the Steelers were only guaranteeing $10 million, then I understand why he passed. I mean, he has $14.5 million in hand the moment he signs. It would actually be well below market since Fournette and Elliot both had guarantees north of $20 million and there are at least seven other RB's who had guarantees over $10 million. I think most of the league considers him "elite" so if he hits the market healthy, he's looking at a floor in the neighborhood of $30 million guaranteed.
Nice work if you can get it.
these nfl contracts aren't worth the paper they are written on. the guaranteed money is only thing that matters. NFL players, running backs especially, go from top of the league to cut in a year. a back loaded contract in the NFL is almost a guarantee that it wont be paid out in full.
I think that report doesn't understand how the Steelers (and many other teams) structure contracts. I would guess he did have a "$10M signing bonus" then (at least) $4.5M in base salary for 2018 to match his 2018 franchise tag number. However, I would bet he had workout and base salary guarantees for 2019 and 2020 that could be converted to signing/restructure bonuses, as they do for all of their top players, so they can convert and push dead money into out years and lower early contract year cap numbers.
So, sure, they could report it as "only $10M in guarantee" because that is what the signing bonus may be. In reality, I would imagine there was, at least, $20M in guarantees between salary and bonuses for this season and next, but probably a lot closer to $30M.
For all of their prodigious offensive talent, the Steelers could be doomed to be the Air Coryell Chargers of this era. Their defense can't stop Burgettstown, and when the offense needed just a yard or two in some key situations, it failed. I don't see how they overcome the Jags or Patriots. The Steelers say they'll ride Bell till he drops. They have much riding on this very high-risk player.
Yeah, I understand that. For what it's worth, your assessment of the initial year is correct and I agree. The numbers I spoke of were "hard" guarantees for those other players. I think the Steelers were trying to do a very salary cap friendly type of contract but in reality, I'd bet they really weren't that interested in doing a long term deal.
I have no problem with Bell trying to maximize his value, but I also recognize that certain positions have salarly limitations. Teams should pay players rather than the position, yet I still wouldn't break the bank over Bell. He's the best running back in the league, however, part of his production is because he is a high volume player. We have seen many other teams, with much more production, achieve it with multiple running backs making about 20 percent of what Bell will this year. In terms of building a team, giving him what he wants isn't a wise investment, especially when you consider the Steelers could add two good defenders for the same price. He'll get his money next year, but it will likely be on a team with a QB on a rookie deal and little talent elsewhere ont he roster (Jets).
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