LeVeon Bell’s teammates turning on him (update: still not back)

[26CornerBlitz]

More from Brooks.

 

 

 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[Fadingpain]

It's been interesting to watch this story.

 

Players never turn against fellow players when one of them is trying to get more $$$.

 

But this time, they did!

 

 

[Batman1876]

Option A) take 14 mil, and spend the year getting your bones ground to dust. Hit the free agent market as a 28 year old back who had 800 carries over the last 2 years.

 

Option B) sit out the year, save your body and hit free agency with more tread on the tire and get a better long term deal.

 

seems like an easy choice to me. Surprised so many people wouldn’t try for 60 mil because they’d be happy with 14.

[QCity]

1 hour ago, GoBills808 said:

Bell turned 26 in February.

 

 

Exactly. And that's why it's a shrewd move to offer him a deal they can walk away from after 3 years when he's 29 (i.e. approaching 30).

[4BillsintheBurgh]

1 hour ago, YoloinOhio said:

Just drafted Conner in the 12th rd. Btw Bell went 9th overall  

?? He was a second rounder

[Ol Dirty B]

7 hours ago, timekills17 said:

 

 

Exactly. $14 million this year. For a running back. Granted, a running back that catches as well as most and better than some receivers but still.

Why do people think they have to defend players when even their own teammates don't think he should be holding out?

 

Because those teammates have more self interest in Bell being there than a Bills fan.

 

Good for Bell, it's not just about this year. If he has a career ending injury or messes up a knee he's losing millions because they're refusing to give him guaranteed money. I see both sides of it. Investing in a rb is risky, but the rb trying to get the most out of his career. I understand that too 

 

People get fixated about 14.5 million, but if you're worth 45, why would you take that? The 12 he banked last year is even less incentive to take the 14.5 if you feel it is under market value. No one likes to be underpaid or embraces that feeling. In terms of what he does, yea 14.5 is way more than a football player is worth. However, in terms of capitalism it isn't. 

 

I hope he holds out until week 8 because a) F the Steelers, and b) get your money while you have the chance.

3 hours ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

 

The going isn't getting tough for the other Steelers, nor is it for Bell.  Plenty of top players got paid this month.  Bell isn't going to get paid what he wants by anyone.  The market speaks.  This is how it always works.  

 

This is a totally appropriate response to this guy's behavior by his teammates.

 

He's not on the market. He can only be offered what the Steelers give him. The market has had no say on these negotiations. 

[GunnerBill]

I have fantasy drafted James Connor. I think the Steelers are gonna give him every shot to be their guy even if Bell returns. 

[Ol Dirty B]

6 hours ago, WhoTom said:

 

Worst case, it's a career-ending injury and he only gets $14M+. Jeez, he may have to bag groceries to make ends meet.

 

 

 

Easy to say when it is someone else doing the suffering. Who knows if he could even bag groceries if it comes to a career ending injury.

 

It's a feudal mentality fans have. Be happy with what you get from the billionaires, it's more than what the other serfs make. 

[GunnerBill]

21 minutes ago, 4BillsintheBurgh said:

?? He was a second rounder

 

Fantasy. 

[GoBills808]

6 hours ago, WhoTom said:

 

Worst case, it's a career-ending injury and he only gets $14M+. Jeez, he may have to bag groceries to make ends meet.

 

 

That's about a 250% difference in guaranteed money he could be earning. Would you take a 250% pay cut out of 'loyalty'?

[row_33]

4 hours ago, dollars 2 donuts said:

 

CT, I think because it is the most bunker mentality of all the Leagues.  The brotherhood of being in the trenches.

 

 

 

They also are the most vulnerable pro athletes through injury and risk to get cut any given week.

 

 

8 hours ago, KGun12TD said:

Who cares? Is he a Bills? No? Who cares. Their problem.

 

Thought Bills fans would be sympathetic to a RBs plight as the team has put about 90 percent of its hope in an aging Shady

 

 

[BringBackOrton]

1 hour ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

 

Players agreed to the CBA which allows for the franchise tag. Bell should retire or show up. Period.

[Ol Dirty B]

4 minutes ago, BringBackOrton said:

Players agreed to the CBA which allows for the franchise tag. Bell should retire or show up. Period.

 

He was in college when those players agreed to the CBA. But I'm sure you'd continue down some path saying he should do something else then or take less than market value. So I guess that's probably irrelevant to you.

Edited September 6, 2018 by Ol Dirty B

[billsfan89]

It's a business and Bell has more to gain by sitting out the season than he does playing. The Steelers can't franchise him anymore and their plan was to ride him for one more year than let him walk as he enters the latter years of his 20's with 5 straight years of wear and tear (2014-2018.) So why play this year on the franchise tag if you stand to lose your long term value if you get hurt? Bell has already proven for 4 straight seasons that he is an elite starting running back in the NFL, he has very little to gain by being elite for a 5th season. 

 

Yes it does suck for his teammates who are losing a great player but why put the blame on Bell and not on the team for not signing him? It seems to be completely one sided for the team to just blame Bell and not express any frustration with the management. 

5 minutes ago, BringBackOrton said:

Players agreed to the CBA which allows for the franchise tag. Bell should retire or show up. Period.

 

The CBA also allows for a player to holdout provided that they pay fines. So if a player does not want to play on his deal he is allowed to pay the fines. 

[BringBackOrton]

3 minutes ago, Ol Dirty B said:

 

He was in college when those players agreed to the CBA. But I'm sure you'd continue down some path saying he should do something else then or take less than market value. So I guess that's probably irrelevant to you.

Well no one forced Bell to agree to the CBA, did they?

[GoBills808]

9 minutes ago, BringBackOrton said:

Players agreed to the CBA which allows for the franchise tag. Bell should retire or show up. Period.

Or hold out. 

[BringBackOrton]

4 minutes ago, billsfan89 said:

It's a business and Bell has more to gain by sitting out the season than he does playing. The Steelers can't franchise him anymore and their plan was to ride him for one more year than let him walk as he enters the latter years of his 20's with 5 straight years of wear and tear (2014-2018.) So why play this year on the franchise tag if you stand to lose your long term value if you get hurt? Bell has already proven for 4 straight seasons that he is an elite starting running back in the NFL, he has very little to gain by being elite for a 5th season. 

 

Yes it does suck for his teammates who are losing a great player but why put the blame on Bell and not on the team for not signing him? It seems to be completely one sided for the team to just blame Bell and not express any frustration with the management. 

 

The CBA also allows for a player to holdout provided that they pay fines. So if a player does not want to play on his deal he is allowed to pay the fines. 

Fair enough. The Steelers are also within their rights to let him hold out for 10 weeks and cost Bell a year then.

[billsfan89]

3 minutes ago, Ol Dirty B said:

 

He was in college when those players agreed to the CBA. But I'm sure you'd continue down some path saying he should do something else then or take less than market value.

 

I would say the franchise tag of roughly 14.5 million is close to his value in terms of average annual value but it offers him no security beyond this season. If Bell had hit the open market this past off-season he would have had over 35 million in guaranteed money as opposed to the 14.5 million he currently has on the table. The risk of playing on that tag is far too high for him. 

[Ol Dirty B]

1 minute ago, BringBackOrton said:

Well no one forced Bell to agree to the CBA, did they?

 

Just be a human being. This board makes me think less and less of Bills fans. He didn't have an option, the NFL is a monopoly. It was his only opportunity to make that kind of money. He proved himself and now they won't pay him. He can't go to Europe and play football, hell, he can't even switch employers in the US. He didn't even get to choose where he'd work. I know they are paid greatly, but that doesn't change how stupid the system is that they have no control over.

 

Like I said, this CBA was agreed upon while he was in college and he had no input on it. You say no one forced him to accept it, but that organization is the only one that allows for making a good living playing the game. He didn't have choices. You're being hard headed if you suggest otherwise. 

1 minute ago, billsfan89 said:

 

I would say the franchise tag of roughly 14.5 million is close to his value in terms of average annual value but it offers him no security beyond this season. If Bell had hit the open market this past off-season he would have had over 35 million in guaranteed money as opposed to the 14.5 million he currently has on the table. The risk of playing on that tag is far too high for him. 

 

Exactly, that is the whole issue here. I'm sorry, I wasn't clear on that post but I have mentioned it in others. It's all about the guaranteed money. 

[billsfan89]

3 minutes ago, BringBackOrton said:

Fair enough. The Steelers are also within their rights to let him hold out for 10 weeks and cost Bell a year then.

 

Bell would basically be tossing out the year but Bell simply is not risking a huge contract by playing in 2018 on a franchise tag. Bell will lose the 14.5 million plus several million in fines in 2018 but he will hit the market as an elite 27 year old running back coming off of a season of rest (I think he gets 35 or more million in guaranteed money on the open market.) Or The Steelers can simply give Bell a new deal that offers him more beyond the 2018 franchise tag. 

 

The Steelers aren't going to get Bell to play on the tag, they have put him in the untenable position of having too much to lose and only needing to lose one year to get to free agency. Bell played on the tag one year and that was risky but it burnt the first franchise tag off (And continued to establish himself as an elite RB for a 4th straight year) and now Bell only needs to sit one season before hitting the market. 

 

[Ol Dirty B]

11 minutes ago, BringBackOrton said:

Fair enough. The Steelers are also within their rights to let him hold out for 10 weeks and cost Bell a year then.

 

They can only put him on the exempt list for 2 weeks. But leave it to the guy bringing up the CBA to not understand the details, at all.

Edited September 6, 2018 by Ol Dirty B

[QCity]

1 hour ago, Ol Dirty B said:

 

Just be a human being. This board makes me think less and less of Bills fans. He didn't have an option, the NFL is a monopoly. It was his only opportunity to make that kind of money. He proved himself and now they won't pay him. He can't go to Europe and play football, hell, he can't even switch employers in the US. He didn't even get to choose where he'd work. I know they are paid greatly, but that doesn't change how stupid the system is that they have no control over.

 

 

I'm sorry but I think playing the violins for Bell is just crazy. This is a guy that's already made ~$15M playing football. He just (allegedly) turned down a contract that would have paid him $33M guaranteed over the next 2 years, which would mean he could have made about $48M in the NFL before the age of 28. And I'm not even getting into endorsement money. But I'm guessing there is a lot of ego involved here. He wants more guaranteed money than Gurley but that not going to happen because A) he's older B) he's got a lot more mileage on him and C) Colbert is not an idiot.

 

But to demonize the NFL over this? Hah! Where do you think Bell would be if it wasn't for the NFL? He'd probably be bagging groceries like someone mentioned and he be arguing over a 75 cent/hr raise at the end of the year.

[GETTOTHE50]

I hope the Bills go after him this upcoming year, along with oline signings.

 

Shady's last year is next. Gotta get someone to be the new bell cow for Allen. 

[PeterDude]

3 hours ago, GETTOTHE50 said:

I hope the Bills go after him this upcoming year, along with oline signings.

 

Shady's last year is next. Gotta get someone to be the new bell cow for Allen. 

 

You can get someone in the 3rd round, no way should the Bills pay for a high priced free agent RB. That's one position you absolutely do not go crazy for in free agency.

[BeginnersMind]

14 minutes ago, PeterDude said:

 

You can get someone in the 3rd round, no way should the Bills pay for a high priced free agent RB. That's one position you absolutely do not go crazy for in free agency.

 

This, always and forever. You can ALWAYS get a serviceable running back. Anyone can run behind a good OL, and I believe that's where a lot of next year's cap space will go. 

[YoloinOhio]

7 hours ago, 4BillsintheBurgh said:

?? He was a second rounder

I drafted Conner in the 12th in my fantasy league last night . Bell fell to 9th overall (he was projected 1st)

Edited September 6, 2018 by YoloinOhio

[YoloinOhio]

 

[dollars 2 donuts]

6 hours ago, row_33 said:

 

They also are the most vulnerable pro athletes through injury and risk to get cut any given week.

 

 

 

Thought Bills fans would be sympathetic to a RBs plight as the team has put about 90 percent of its hope in an aging Shady

 

 

 

6 hours ago, billsfan89 said:

 

I would say the franchise tag of roughly 14.5 million is close to his value in terms of average annual value but it offers him no security beyond this season. If Bell had hit the open market this past off-season he would have had over 35 million in guaranteed money as opposed to the 14.5 million he currently has on the table. The risk of playing on that tag is far too high for him. 

 

@SouthNYfan

 

A RB's career is shorter as we know and these players live for that one big deal after their rookie deal.  There is usually no substantial deal after that for a RB and the Steelers are robbing him or bleeding him of those best contract years by throwing him singular bones until they are done with him.  It isn't right.

 

I'm usually not on the players side (maybe I should be) but it just plain isn't right at all, and I'm not buying the "but it's 14.5 million, and he knows how this works" argument.  Because he knows how this works and because it is a large amount of money to us doesn't make it right.

[SouthNYfan]

19 minutes ago, dollars 2 donuts said:

 

 

@SouthNYfan

 

A RB's career is shorter as we know and these players live for that one big deal after their rookie deal.  There is usually no substantial deal after that for a RB and the Steelers are robbing him or bleeding him of those best contract years by throwing him singular bones until they are done with him.  It isn't right.

 

I'm usually not on the players side (maybe I should be) but it just plain isn't right at all, and I'm not buying the "but it's 14.5 million, and he knows how this works" argument.  Because he knows how this works and because it is a large amount of money to us doesn't make it right.

 

Agreed.

I'm actually buying the "he knows how this works"  is the exact reason he is going this route.

He knows exactly what you said: the Steelers are bleeding him dry, racking up league high touches, while getting by paying him below market value, and releasing misleading contract offer details. 

I think the 5/70 was a good deal on total #

The issue was the guarantee was only $10.

That means the franchise tag was worth almost 50% more guaranteed.

The Steelers have a long-standing history of not offering more than 1 year guaranteed, which I understand that they don't want to break that rule.

The issue is they had just given brown 4/68 with $19mil guaranteed.

Then they turned around and basically spit on Bell by only offering $10 guaranteed 

So not only did they offer Bell aav of 14 instead of the 17 for brown (about 18% less available), they offered him only 52% the guarantee (10 vs 19).

 

I'm sure somebody will go all in on the "rb isn't an important as a wr" and "the drop-off from brown to replacement level is much greater than bell to replacement level" which I understand, but 50% less guaranteed is just insulting to him.

 

[YoloinOhio]

From what I gather from some of the teammates’ comments it almost seems like they are more upset that he said he was going to do one thing and did another. Apparently he told them he would be there by yesterday and he wasn’t, and that pissed them off. 

[dollars 2 donuts]

43 minutes ago, SouthNYfan said:

 

Agreed.

I'm actually buying the "he knows how this works"  is the exact reason he is going this route.

He knows exactly what you said: the Steelers are bleeding him dry, racking up league high touches, while getting by paying him below market value, and releasing misleading contract offer details. 

I think the 5/70 was a good deal on total #

The issue was the guarantee was only $10.

That means the franchise tag was worth almost 50% more guaranteed.

The Steelers have a long-standing history of not offering more than 1 year guaranteed, which I understand that they don't want to break that rule.

The issue is they had just given brown 4/68 with $19mil guaranteed.

Then they turned around and basically spit on Bell by only offering $10 guaranteed 

So not only did they offer Bell aav of 14 instead of the 17 for brown (about 18% less available), they offered him only 52% the guarantee (10 vs 19).

 

I'm sure somebody will go all in on the "rb isn't an important as a wr" and "the drop-off from brown to replacement level is much greater than bell to replacement level" which I understand, but 50% less guaranteed is just insulting to him.

 

 

The thing is too, SouthNY, I believe last year they may have been able to get away with a 5 year sixty-five million dollar deal with maybe 32-35 million guaranteed and they'd be 2/3 of the way through the guaranteed money at the end of this year, depending upon how it is structured.

Edited September 6, 2018 by dollars 2 donuts

[YoloinOhio]

 

[26CornerBlitz]

Steelers Won't Be Rescinding Franchise Tag for Bell

As RB Bell holdout continues, Steelers don't intend on rescinding the standout's franchise tag, Rapoport reports.

[Mr. WEO]

8 hours ago, Ol Dirty B said:

 

Because those teammates have more self interest in Bell being there than a Bills fan.

 

Good for Bell, it's not just about this year. If he has a career ending injury or messes up a knee he's losing millions because they're refusing to give him guaranteed money. I see both sides of it. Investing in a rb is risky, but the rb trying to get the most out of his career. I understand that too 

 

People get fixated about 14.5 million, but if you're worth 45, why would you take that? The 12 he banked last year is even less incentive to take the 14.5 if you feel it is under market value. No one likes to be underpaid or embraces that feeling. In terms of what he does, yea 14.5 is way more than a football player is worth. However, in terms of capitalism it isn't. 

 

I hope he holds out until week 8 because a) F the Steelers, and b) get your money while you have the chance.

 

He's not on the market. He can only be offered what the Steelers give him. The market has had no say on these negotiations. 

 

His current team is his market, just as has been true for any other player who has successfully accepted the conditions of the franchise tag and CBA. They have determined his value based on what he brings and what other RBs are getting from other teams.

 

Why would he take the 14.5 million?  Because that's what he has agreed to do in the Franchise tag era/CBA.  It's what they have all agreed to.  It's obvious what the player thinks he's worth is meaningless.  Every player in the NFL would think he's worth more  than he's paid.  So what?

Edited September 6, 2018 by Mr. WEO

[dollars 2 donuts]

7 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

 

Yolo, buddy, I absolutely get this, and sympathize with the players getting upset.

 

However, does this change anything with the Steelers?  Before he said he was coming in were they about to pull the trigger on a trade for a new RB and he screwed them?

 

Sure he said it, but he may have stepped back and been just down right pissed about his situation.  He was out last week and he is out this week.  I still believe he is coming in, though...could he be maneuvering for a trade, though?

Edited September 6, 2018 by dollars 2 donuts

[Coach Tuesday]

6 hours ago, QCity said:

But to demonize the NFL over this? Hah! Where do you think Bell would be if it wasn't for the NFL? He'd probably be bagging groceries like someone mentioned and he be arguing over a 75 cent/hr raise at the end of the year.

 

Very small-minded thing to say - and that's putting it nicely.

[FeelingOnYouboty]

I laugh when NFL players complain during NBA Free Agency and see the type of money being thrown around. This right here is why they'll never be paid like they should be.

 

Look at the workers siding with management. Makes me sick. Get your money Le'Veon. Plays the most taxing position and they use RB's up and then refuse to pay them. Now personally I would've accepted the 70M they offered but if he thinks he's worth more. Then hold out for more. Good for him. He has some trash teammates.

[dollars 2 donuts]

Who could use him?

 

Who is that close and needs a RB?

 

Who has the cap space for the 14.5 million?

 

For a year rental (seemingly) it could be as high as a two, but it could be worth it if you are that close.

[YoloinOhio]

5 minutes ago, dollars 2 donuts said:

Who could use him?

 

Who is that close and needs a RB?

 

Who has the cap space for the 14.5 million?

 

For a year rental (seemingly) it could be as high as a two, but it could be worth it if you are that close.

The Niners aren’t “close” but with McKinnon torn acl they could use him this year, have the cap space for the salary, and are in the nfc which would help with the trade. But he would still need to sign his tag to be traded and not sure he will. His goal is to get to FA and get a giant deal with gtd $ -  I think he would be fine with having less tread on the tires when he gets there. That’s why I think he plays this out until week 10. 

Edited September 6, 2018 by YoloinOhio