By Mark Madden
July 17, 2018
(Keith Srakocic/AP)
If Le’Veon Bell declined a five-year contract worth $70 million with $33 million paid over the first two seasons, he’s nuts.
But Bell only gets the silver medal when it comes to crazy.
Whoever signs Bell to a deal worth more than that gets the gold.
All it takes is one team. That team is out there. It stinks, and has lots of cap room and money to spend/waste. Waste, because Bell at his peak probably won’t help enough. Anyway, Bell will likely be past his peak.
Now it’s time for Bell’s last act as a Steeler. The length of said act is undetermined.
It’s speculated that Bell will miss part of the season by way of dodging workload and keeping himself healthy for free agency. Bell can skip as many as 10 games and still hit the open market after the season.
But Bell would also be dodging currency: $909k per game check missed.
Bell doesn’t strike me as a saver. If Bell wants a lot, he spends a lot. Bell missing perhaps one game to prove an expensive point seems as far as he’d go, and it’s doubtful he’d even do that.
Studio time is expensive, after all. But maybe Wiz Khalifa picked up the tab.
The betting here says that Bell follows last year’s timeline and shows up after the last exhibition game.
A further wager guesses that Bell starts out slow, also like last year. The Steelers allegedly felt Bell wasn’t in “football shape.”
Bell is adopting a vegan diet by way of preparation. Hopefully, it includes nothing on the banned substances list.
If you want to take a shot at the trifecta, lay a few bucks on Bell having a rotten season (of whatever length). Bell wasn’t stellar in 2017, piling up volume but with a minimum of legit excellence. He had only three runs of 20 yards or more. His per-carry dipped almost a full yard from 2016.
Bell is recognized as the best back in football. That same status applies to the Steelers’ offensive line, according to some.
So how did the Steelers finish just 25th in yards per rushing attempt (3.8) last season? (They finished eighth in 2015 at 4.4. Bell missed 10 games that season. DeAngelo Williams deputized.)
There are no bad guys in this drama.
Bell wants more than he’s worth. But ultimately, Bell will get it. That absolves him of blame. It’s his life.
The Steelers offered Bell more than he’s worth: A contract with an average annual value of $5.75 million more than the next highest-paid running back gets. The Steelers tried.
Bell’s agent, Adisa Bakari, said the Steelers wanted to pay the position, not the player. That’s silly.
The market dictates. Quarterback has always been a more important position. Right now, so is wide receiver. Running backs are disposable. There are lots of decent backs. It’s easy to draft a starter.
It’s not about being fair. It’s about supply and demand.
The Steelers invested more in Antonio Brown than they’re willing to do with Bell, and rightly so. That might frustrate Bell. Being third fiddle in the Steelers offense could also irritate.
Call it pride, call it ego, call it understandable, but Bell might want to be top dog and reap the ancillary benefits that accompany.
Bell’s departure will create an intriguing circumstance.
If the Steelers win a Super Bowl in Bell’s final season wearing black and gold, all’s well that ends well.
If the Steelers don’t, maybe it’s time for a change.
The Steelers have been carrying the mantle — however subjective or inaccurate — as the “best offense in football” since Bell, Brown and Ben Roethlisberger united. (BTW, the “best offense in football” finished just eighth in points scored last season.)
It hasn’t gotten them a Super Bowl ring or even to a Super Bowl.
Bell’s contract comes off the books after 2018. So does Ryan Shazier’s. The Steelers can draft a running back in the first three rounds and get quality at an entry-level price. Money can be spent on reinforcing a defense that figures to be the reason the Steelers don’t win this year.
The Steelers won’t have Bell in 2019.
What they might have is a better team and a better chance. The current setup hasn’t worked.
Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).
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