Next contract will define Bell’s gamble
Mike Jones: Steelers star stood firm on holdout, will be free agent in 2019
After months of speculation, misdirection and confusion, the moment of truth came for Le’Veon Bell. In the end, the running back stood firm.
The long game took priority over the short.
Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline for him to report to the Steelers passed without any deal. By remaining away, the 26-year-old Bell is ineligible to play for the remainder of the season. He’ll also officially forfeit the $14.54 million he would have earned had he signed his second consecutive franchise tag.
This never was about a one-year payout for Bell, who through his five previous NFL seasons has earned a total of $16.04 million.
Bell sees himself as more than a typical running back, a position usually not as highly prized as a top quarterback, wide receiver, pass rusher or left tackle. That’s why a multiyear deal with an average salary of $14 million (though not
100 percent guaranteed) offered by the Steelers last offseason wasn’t enough for him.
Taking the field without long-term financial security was also unappealing. He played two seasons with no salary promised for the following year, enduring the risk of a serious injury that could have damaged his earning potential. To Bell, that was two seasons too many.
Bell wasn’t going to put himself through the rigors of another 400-plus touch season ahead of free agency. And though reporting this week would have translated into a significantly lighter load, and a prorated $6 million, Bell still was comfortable deciding to sit out.
Now, he’ll enter the offseason as a free agent, unless the Steelers use the franchise tag a third time (unlikely given the cost is expected to exceed
$25 million) or transition tag (possible, because it gives them the right to match any offer he receives).
Ask former and current NFL players, and even agents and contract experts, and many find it hard to understand Bell’s endgame. Despite his clear desire to maximize his potential payout for a deal next spring, it’s hard to comprehend his decision to forfeit $14.5 million to keep himself fresh for future seasons.
When Bell didn’t end his holdout in time to rejoin his team by Week 1 as he did last season, many expected him to wait until this point because it was the last date possible for him to squeeze out some of his salary and still help the Steelers make a run to the Super Bowl.
But nothing about Bell’s approach has been predictable.
Earlier this season, reports emerged that he planned to return during Pittsburgh’s Week 7 bye. That didn’t happen. Last week, he left his offseason home of Miami and returned to the Pittsburgh area, where he trained in gyms but still didn’t rejoin the Steelers. That left some to believe a Week 11 return was possible.
Then, Tuesday came and went with no sign of Bell.
Confusing? Yes, on the surface. Fans, players and experts have all wondered what kind of advice Bell is receiving from his agent, Adisa Bakari. But multiple people familiar with both figures told USA TODAY that they believe these moves are Bell’s alone. The people spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.
Very little about Bell is conventional — not his running style, not his mental approach to the game and not his financial decisions.
Bell has never taken the ball and just hit the intended hole as running backs are instructed. Instead, he routinely hesitates, his eyes looking beyond the line to read linebackers, trying to identify his second and third moves, and then he springs into action. That running style frustrates defenders who read the offensive linemen to ascertain a read on Bell’s intentions and then get duped. Bell’s running style also frustrates his own coaches and blockers. But it’s just that: his own unique approach.
The game of football is a chess match to Bell. So, too, is the business side of football, which now has Bell in a position he likely didn’t previously envision.
It was five years ago that Bell tweeted, “If youu (sic) could sit out a year of a sport youu play and your not injured or somethin else is preventing you to play, then youu don’t love it!”
But now, while faced with the dilemma of laying his body on the line for less than he believes he is worth and without sufficient long-term security, Bell is using the very tactic he once criticized.
Bell’s unwillingness to play under these circumstances is understandable given he saw Earl Thomas end a lengthy contract holdout this year only to break his leg four games into his season. Then last week, Dez Bryant at last signed with the Saints before tearing his Achilles in his second practice.
In accordance with his running style, rather than looking at the hole (or oneyear contract) right in front of him, Bell is looking to the next level. A degree of uncertainty does loom, though.
There’s no guarantee that Bell will receive the kind of money he seeks from another team.
Many teams might hesitate to give the soon-to-be 27-year-old Bell a multiyear deal worth approximately $16 million a season, in part because it’s hard to predict when a running back’s production will drop off. The Adrian Peterson and Frank Gore types are extremely rare. Bell has put up all-pro numbers and seemingly boasts special talent. But he does have a lot of mileage on him, and there’s no guarantee that he will continue to produce at his previous level.
But he only needs one team to step up with the offer he’s been looking for. And if Bell finds that ideal scenario, his stand of 2018 will have been well worth it.