By Jordan Long
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Le’Veon Bell failed to reach a long-term contract. Bell was franchised and had until 4 PM ET time yesterday to reach an agreement. The Steelers and Bell tried to work a deal but it didn’t happen.
Bell will be playing on the franchise tag this year. The Steelers offered Bell 5-years worth $70 million. Of that $70 million, $33 million would have been fully guaranteed over the 1st 2 years, making him the highest paid running back in the NFL. Bell declined.
Bell wants to be the highest paid running back in NFL history. This season his cap hit is $14.5 million, the top salary in the league for a running back. The next salary for a running back is Jerick McKinnion at $10.5 million. That is a difference of $4 million. Sure Bell is a better running back than McKinnon and should be paid higher.
The problem is Bell wants quarterback money of around $17 million a season, a lot of money to pay a running back. Bell is not worth $17 million. He hasn’t surpassed 1,500 rushing yards in a season to this point. His greatest season was in 2014 when he ran for 1,361 yards. In his career his total is 5,336 rushing yards in the regular season.
In the playoffs, a running back wants to perform well and help his team win. Bell has yet to prove that. In 4 playoff games, he’s rushed for total of 424 yards or an average of 106 yards per game. The Steelers haven’t advanced to a Super Bowl, let alone won it with him.
Bell is asking for a ridiculous amount. He is going to be a free agent next year assuming the Steelers don’t use the franchise tag again. It seems Bell is trying to force his way out of Pittsburgh. Once free agency hits, teams are going to shy away from paying him $17 million a year. Bell can be hurt on the first play of the season and miss the remainder of the year. The risk is not worth the reward.
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