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Leveon Bell will officially hit the open market, reportedly wants 50 mill in 1st 2 years of deal


YoloinOhio

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3 hours ago, T master said:

It's all about the money to him nothing else matters he has no loyalty's to any one or any thing but a dollar i hope the Bills stay away from him or AB both are bad for football but both are what the new football is becoming which will ultimately make the game go in a different direction ...

It's about money for just about every player...

Edited by nucci
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It is all about the Benjamins.  Just saw the Nick Buoniconti show on HBO, and as much as I despise him as a human being, seeing what football and CTE did to him is sobering.  I don't blame Bell one bit for saving his body.  I don't think he'll get $50M over 2 years, but more power to him for trying.

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I have no issue that Bell is fighting for every dollar he can get.  I have no issue it led to him sitting out last season, although I do think it was a mistake as he lost a year of playing and income that will be hard to make up given the amount of money he missed out on.  I mean he only has a few years left to really make that money back, let alone exceed it.   

 

However, I think two things about this $50M over 2 years report:

  1. These kinds of stories are pretty unreliable.  Reporters have no accountability when reporting on rumors, so any sniff of a rumor they put out because it gets interest and views, and thats their core of their job. You cant prove or disprove rumors, so they are what they are.
  2. Regardless of the info above being true or not, its pretty obvious Bell is going to go in asking for as much as he can, even if he knows he won't get it.  Thats what negotiations are for.  His side will start very high, the other side will start lower than they know he will sign for.  Both know a deal will be done somewhere in between.  So Bell isnt going to walk in and demand the min he will sign for.  
  3. I do think its likely he is asking for a 2 year deal though so he can try and get one more payday on another 2 year deal just before he turns 30.  I mean thats about the only way he can ever have a shot of making back all the money he lost last year.  

Obviously, Bells best chance at a huge payday is to have more than one team aggressively pursuing him where he can leverage interest higher and higher.  Personally, I think he is going to land a 2 year deal around $12m with a big signing bonus.  Front runners to me would be Jets, Colts, or Raiders.  

 

However, Colts found a run game last year, they may not want to spend so big on Bell now, but they certainly can afford to if they want.  Raiders are so far off from contention that I doubt paying big money to a RB makes much difference, so not sure they will see the value of spending big on a RB the next 2 years.  Especially since they lost Mack already over money.

 

So I think Jets are most likely to pay up given they have a young QB in place where a weapon like Bell can really help a young QB both by taking pressure off in the run game and being a good receiving outlet.  Bills could be a dark horse here too given the hit won't be as bad cap wise if we cut Shady.  

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I think people thinking Bell wont get 10 mill per year are delusional. Besides being a RB, he also has outstanding ball skills as a WR. He had 80+ catches for 650+ yards the last time he played. That would easily have made him Bills top receiver in catches and yards. If Sammy got 16 mill per year, there is no way Bell makes 10 mill per year. He may not get Gurley money, but he will come close. Additionally, unlike Gurley, he has produced in the post-season at about 130 yds from scrimmage. This guy can be a game changer. An OC can get so creative with a guy like Bell in the backfield.

 

I expect him to get at least 30 mill guaranteed if his conditioning is good and he passes his physical.

 

 

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FWIW, this is what he turned down:

 

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/leveon-bell-reportedly-turned-down-a-monstrous-70-million-deal-from-the-steelers/

 

I doubt if his new contract will be significantly better than what he turned down in Pittsburgh. The were offering him 33 mill guaranteed and 14 mill per for 5 years. he wanted a minimum of 17 mill per. 

 

That is why I think something like 4 years 60 mill with 35+ mill guaranteed will be somewhat palatable to him and not unreasonable to the Bills (if they want Bell). 

 

There can also be some kind of injury guarantee (say an additional 7-8 mill) to make the contract more attractive.

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On 2/20/2019 at 2:25 PM, dneveu said:

 

So Gurley got 4 years 57.5 (around 14 per) with 45 guaranteed.  Bell's 2 years older and didn't play for a year.  Should be interesting.  

 

I'm thinking Jets...?

 

Yeah me too. I would be surprised if the Jets did Not go after him. 

 

I think they will make him a big offer.

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19 hours ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

$3M a year?  There is about as much chance of that happening as me getting $14m a year to play RB for the Steelers.  

 

Bell will likely be get a double digit deal, I doubt its at the $14m mark but he will probably get between $10m and $12m per year.  

 

Case in point:  No one thought Sammy was worth more than $8m to $10m (most said under $10m) and he got $16m to put up 39 rec and 500 yards again.  

 

By the way, I did the math on HEALTHY Sammy the last 2 years, so only his real production on games he played. Over last 2 years on the two most explosive offenses in the NFL, Sammy played in 25 games.  And based on his per game average production during that 25 game span, this is 16 game projected production:

 

16 game season:  51 rec, 711 yards, 4 TD's.  

 

He got $16m per year for that and hasn't played in 16 games since a rookie in 2014 to boot.  For comparison, the guy who literally replaced in him LA for less money to play the exact same role put up 80 rec and 1200 yards which was more than double what Sammy did over 15 games the year before on the same team in the same role.  Yet someone still paid him $16m per year.  

 

Someone is going to pay for Bell who is a lot more productive than Sammy.  

In two of the games he played this year he either came out very early (first quarter; vs Denver; hamstring) or after one play (Rams; foot). 

 

In the 8 full games he played last season, he had 39 catches for 511 yards, which extrapolates to 78 catches for 1,022 yards. 

Edited by dave mcbride
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10 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

Yeah me too. I would be surprised if the Jets did Not go after him. 

 

I think they will make him a big offer.

I don’t see the fit with Gase. Unless he abandons the Process mentality he had in Miami. He doesn’t like “me” guys.

Edited by YoloinOhio
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9 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

I don’t see the fit with Gase. Unless he abandons the Process mentality he had in Miami. He doesn’t like “me” guys.

I agree on Gase. I keep forgetting they hired him...lol. 

 

But still, with Maccagnan retaining control of the 53 man roster and supposedly wanting Bell pretty badly (there’s been lots of rumors about it), I still think they could make him an offer. 

 

Maccagnan likes those big name stars, and with how things ended for Gase in Miami, I don’t know if he will be pounding the table that hard against a player of Bell’s caliber immediately after being hired. I know he will have input but He may not be quite comfortable enough to make a strong stand against signing a proven star player like Bell yet. He made sure to be clear after he was hired that he didn’t want control of the 53 man roster this time and that he just wanted to be the coach. 

 

Plus, more than anything Gase needs to win games to repair his rep as a head coach, and the Jets need all the talent they can get. 

 

 

You very well may be right though. Gase is about those high character team guys, and I believe Chris Johnson (currently running the jets for Woody) is the same way. I know that he stepped in and vetoed the Su signing when Maccagnan offered him a deal (after Miami cut him).  

 

 

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17 minutes ago, dave mcbride said:

In two of the games he played this year he either came out very early (first quarter; vs Denver; hamstring) or after one play (Rams; foot). 

 

In the 8 full games he played last season, he had 39 catches for 511 yards, which extrapolates to 78 catches for 1,022 yards. 

 

Yeah but he’s played in 16 games once in 5 years and that was as a rookie.  So factoring in games he started but didn’t finish is fair to his per game assessment as it’s a relevant part of his on field work on a per game basis that he has appeared in.  

 

And why are you only trying to pick Chiefs games and not include his time with Rams when it was the most games he played in a single season since he was a rookie?  Plus he saw his replacement Brandin Cooks more than double his production in the exact same role with exact same Rams team and offense.  

 

My stats were his average production per game started over the last 2 years.  You both removed an entire of season or low production and also removed games he started but could not finish.  And even with that stat manipulation help, the very best anyone can paint him is basically the same mediocre production as Stevie Johnson put up.  Still not close to being worth $16m per season even then.  

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2 hours ago, Freddie's Dead said:

It is all about the Benjamins.  Just saw the Nick Buoniconti show on HBO, and as much as I despise him as a human being, seeing what football and CTE did to him is sobering.  I don't blame Bell one bit for saving his body.  I don't think he'll get $50M over 2 years, but more power to him for trying.

 

 

 

...said he wants to play for the Colts......would have to catch Irsay at a weak moment for $50 mil......should be a piece of cake....any Monday thru Sunday...

Edited by OldTimeAFLGuy
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23 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

Yeah but he’s played in 16 games once in 5 years and that was as a rookie.  So factoring in games he started but didn’t finish is fair to his per game assessment as it’s a relevant part of his on field work on a per game basis that he has appeared in.  

 

And why are you only trying to pick Chiefs games and not include his time with Rams when it was the most games he played in a single season since he was a rookie?  Plus he saw his replacement Brandin Cooks more than double his production in the exact same role with exact same Rams team and offense.  

 

My stats were his average production per game started over the last 2 years.  You both removed an entire of season or low production and also removed games he started but could not finish.  And even with that stat manipulation help, the very best anyone can paint him is basically the same mediocre production as Stevie Johnson put up.  Still not close to being worth $16m per season even then.  

I'm not trying to justify his body of work; I know he's been hurt too much. I'm just talking about last season--that's all. Honestly, though, I wouldn't be surprised if racks up 1100-1200 yards next year if he stays healthy, although I realize that's a huge if given his track. The talent is there, and it was on display vs. NE in that championship game. He had 114 yards and also picked up another 25-30 or so on a PI.

Edited by dave mcbride
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20 minutes ago, dave mcbride said:

I'm not trying to justify his body of work; I know he's been hurt too much. I'm just talking about last season--that's all. Honestly, though, I wouldn't be surprised if racks up 1100-1200 yards next year if he stays healthy, although I realize that's a huge if given his track. The talent is there, and it was on display vs. NE in that championship game. He had 114 yards and also picked up another 25-30 or so on a PI.

 

All good and I know where you are coming from.  Ive always been a fan of Sammy, and I have defended him plenty.  However, Ive just reached the point where I cant excuse his lack of production anymore.  His 2 year combined totals for catches and yards are less than Brandin Cooks put up this year alone for Rams after taking over Sammys role.  

 

Sammy:  25 Games started over 2 seasons (Rams then Chiefs).  79 Catches, 1112 yards.

Brandin:  16 Games started, 1 season (Rams).  80 Catches 1204 yards.  

 

I mean I just cant defend his low production anymore, hes been in the league 5 years.  He has talent, he has had some injuries.  But he is not making the most of his talent even when healthy.  The last dominant stretch of games he had was a 9 game run in 2015.  We always blamed the QB, yet he has had Goff and Mahomes but still hasn't reached 600 yards despite one of those seasons he only missed 1 game.  

 

And yeah, he had over 100 yards (in a playoff loss) but it was on 4 catches (and took 8 targets).  Is he capable of some big gains, sure.  But 4 catches for 100 yards has been done countless times by lesser WR's.  I want to see sustained production, something he has only achieved over a 9 game stretch one time 4 years ago.  

 

I will keep rooting for him, was a fan in college and was a fan since he was in the NFL...but I can no longer defend the lack of production.  At $16M a year, you better be a major cog to your team, not the 4th option.  

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4 hours ago, matter2003 said:

Nobody is paying this dude that type of money...the RB position just isn't that important.

My thoughts exactly. Anyone who pays that for him is beyond crazy. It's not the 1970s anymore.

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It's very telling that the Steelers missed the playoffs without him. He's good enough to put a marginal team in the playoffs and also good enough to push Indy or Houston to the AFC championship. He will be to his next team what Gurley is to the Rams

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11 minutes ago, stuvian said:

It's very telling that the Steelers missed the playoffs without him. He's good enough to put a marginal team in the playoffs and also good enough to push Indy or Houston to the AFC championship. He will be to his next team what Gurley is to the Rams

A guy that mysteriously disappears in the playoffs while his team’s offense sputters to a halt?

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I can not believe anyone will give him that kind of cash since he just sat a year where he was offered 14 .million. His loyalty is not the team but himself which is not a bad thing except for where it cost 25 million a year.

7 hours ago, IgotBILLStopay said:

I think people thinking Bell wont get 10 mill per year are delusional. Besides being a RB, he also has outstanding ball skills as a WR. He had 80+ catches for 650+ yards the last time he played. That would easily have made him Bills top receiver in catches and yards. If Sammy got 16 mill per year, there is no way Bell makes 10 mill per year. He may not get Gurley money, but he will come close. Additionally, unlike Gurley, he has produced in the post-season at about 130 yds from scrimmage. This guy can be a game changer. An OC can get so creative with a guy like Bell in the backfield.

 

I expect him to get at least 30 mill guaranteed if his conditioning is good and he passes his physical.

 

 

Did anyone say less than 10 million a year? If the Bills can sign him for 4 years at 40 million i would say do it now. My bet is 4 years about 55 million

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On 2/20/2019 at 2:41 PM, Mr. WEO said:

 

2 years ago maybe.  I'd take Hunt or Barkley every Sunday over this guy. 

 

So you're saying there will be a bidding war for Bell?

Those 2 aren’t available lol but anyways Hunt is pretty damn good and so is Barkley. I think Bell may find out real quick the true economics of free agency in the NFL. Realistically, I see 3 years around 35 mil. Maybe to him thats better than the 14 mil with risk of an injury without a long term deal in place.

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