4th Down: Will Le’Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers sign deal before deadline?
In this series, I will take an issue or question facing the Pittsburgh Steelers and argue both sides.
Le’Veon Bell is undeniably one of the best players in the NFL. He came in at number five in NFL Network’s top 100 players. But he has not received a new long-term contract. As a player at the top of his position, he does not want to play this season on the franchise tag. Until they get a long-term deal done Bell will not be seen at Steelers training camp. So the question today is will the Steelers sign Bell to a long-term contract before the start of training camp.
Argument #1
Bell will not sign a deal because it is simply not in the team’s nature. The Steelers have a tendency to allow players who are publicly upset about money to walk. Mike Wallace is one example. On top of that Bell has repeatedly made comments that were a bad look for the team. Add in League suspension and it’s hard to picture Bell as a team player. The team might not want to deal with him regardless of how talented a player he is.
Another factor working against Bell is the salary cap. The deal Bell wants would make him easily the highest paid back in the league. In recent years the value of the running back has gone down making this much money spent on a back questionable.
Another thing to consider is that a deal has not gotten done yet. Bell has been eligible for an extension for a while and even played last season on the franchise tag. There have been plenty of opportunities to get a deal done. Unfortunately, nothing is been agreed on. The amount of time without a deal is starting to make it look like the sides are farther apart than what it sounds.
On top of all that the two sides are running out of time. Players report to camp on July 25. Once camp starts it seems likely negotiations will be put off.
Argument #2
Le’Veon Bell will get a deal done with the Steelers because he is the best running back in the NFL. It is that simple. Bell scored nine touchdowns last year and reached almost 2000 all-purpose yards, a feat I expect him to be able to achieve in the future. Bell is an integral part of the offense and the team will likely shell out all they need to keep him around.
Running back is more valuable now than the current narrative among football fans. This is especially true for a back with Bells skill set. Running backs that have skills as a receiver are now at a premium in the NFL. There is a reason that backs have been taken in the top five of the draft three years now. Although there have been late round successes it’s not as easy to find a great running back as some would suggest.
It also seems like the two sides are getting closer. There has been talk that the latest negotiations have been around 14.5 million per season. That seems to be what Bells worth and is near what is getting paid this season on the franchise tag. Bell also seems confident a deal will get done. On NFL network he stated that he feels the two sides are much closer together than they were this time last year. If the negotiations are trending in the right direction there is nothing to suggest a deal won’t get done.
Next: 3 biggest questions before training camp
Conclusion
I do believe that Bell will get a new long-term deal. Unfortunately, I don’t believe it will happen before the start of the 2018 season. I think the two sides are probably getting closer to a deal. But unfortunately, there’s just not enough time. Bell is an integral part of the Steelers offense, something they recognize. It should just be a matter of time before he gets the deal he wants. I just don’t see that happening before camp opens in July.