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RB Le'Veon Bell, FA (3 Viewers)

rockaction said:
Le'Veon was never the most diplomatically savvy sort of guy, was he? He figured he'd get less work, huh? Hoo baby, back up the Brinks truck to sign this guy next year.

He's cooked. He was cooked when he sat out the year and signed with the Jets. Frank Gore flat out beat him out for the job.

Makes you wonder. These guys that opted out -- and I have nothing but sympathy for them so this isn't a loaded question to be a jerk -- are they going to be able to come back even if they want? I mean, take C.J. Mosely. It is assumed that he will step into the Jets starting MLB position next year, yet he hasn't played a down in two years. He can't be in football shape. I'm thinking of the Pats defense, etc., in addition to this. I think we're going to be in for a rude awakening for some guys next year, if the year isn't still marred by COVID complications. 
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One person's "fresh legs" is another person's "rust". In other words, these perceptions tend to be more bias-confirming than anything. Put me in the camp that you don't simply step away from the game and then step back in without some degradation of physical skills or mental "edge".

 
Craig_MiamiFL said:
He got what he wanted: Paid.

It is amazing to think his and Gurley's careers are already over.
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I get this, but in the end, I think (and I don't fully know the numbers) that he got paid his guarantees, but if he'd stuck with the Steelers and been paid that year he sat out, he would have made more with roster bonus-oriented contract than he did with the Jets guarantee.

 
Some guys really love the game.

Others play because it's a high paying job.

I can't really begrudge the latter type. It's not me putting my physical well being on the line for the entertainment of others. 

But if you accept the paycheck you should at least try to earn it.

 
Andy Dufresne said:
Others play because it's a high paying job.
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I have a suspicion that those guys don't last or don't get noticed for great play. I guess for every Walter Payton there's an Eric Dickerson yelling "pay me," but it seems to me that even Dickerson loved the game to an extent.

That's not to quibble with you -- I agree with you -- that's just a thought that ran through my head when I was reading what you were saying.

 
It's a fair point that as a fan I think they should care about "their legacy" but that doesn't mean they do or should. I think the player Bell was at his apex will be forgotten and that process will only be accelerated by his post hold out career.

 
rockaction said:
I get this, but in the end, I think (and I don't fully know the numbers) that he got paid his guarantees, but if he'd stuck with the Steelers and been paid that year he sat out, he would have made more with roster bonus-oriented contract than he did with the Jets guarantee.
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Good posting.  He did get paid but it was less than he would have made by staying with the Steelers

 
Godsbrother said:
It will be interesting to see how Bell does as a UFA this offseason.   Sitting out may elongated his career but his days of being considered an elite back are long gone.  
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Those elite back days are indeed long gone.  Bell's days of being considered a starting RB are gone.  He is mere depth now, and not even exciting as depth.  Bell has been outplayed by Darrell Williams with the Chiefs.  There may not be many suitors lining up to sign Bell this offseason, and he is not getting starting money.  The holdout may have elongated Bell's health, but I don't think it helped his career or his bank account.

 
Godsbrother said:
It will be interesting to see how Bell does as a UFA this offseason.   Sitting out may elongated his career but his days of being considered an elite back are long gone.  
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Bell's worth vet minimum with no guarantees to make the roster. He recently said he signed with the Chiefs instead of the Dolphins so he could touch the ball less. Perhaps Bell elongated his career by tacking on another 1 year 1M deal onto the end of it, but he skipped the 14.5M in his age 26 season. Maybe he knew he was done at 26 and wanted to fool a team into giving him a plump retirement contract above the 14.5M on the table

 
Le'Veon Bell did not touch the ball in the Chiefs' Super Bowl LV loss to the Bucs. 

This year’s LeSean McCoy, Bell’s disastrous Jets tenure came to an end following Week 5. Gang Green tried to trade him but couldn’t find any takers. Bell quickly latched on with the defending-champion Chiefs where it seemed he might give struggling rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire a run for his money. Instead, Bell surpassed seven carries only twice in nine games while catching 13 passes as a Chief. He fell (way) behind Darrel Williams on the depth chart down the stretch. Things got so bad that Bell claimed during Super Bowl media week he signed with the Chiefs because he expected a light workload. Not the same since holding out of the 2018 season, it’s not a guarantee Bell is a part of someone’s 53-man roster in 2021. He turns 29 later this month. 

Feb 7, 2021, 10:45 PM ET
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Edgar said:
Bell's worth vet minimum with no guarantees to make the roster. He recently said he signed with the Chiefs instead of the Dolphins so he could touch the ball less. Perhaps Bell elongated his career by tacking on another 1 year 1M deal onto the end of it, but he skipped the 14.5M in his age 26 season. Maybe he knew he was done at 26 and wanted to fool a team into giving him a plump retirement contract above the 14.5M on the table
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This actually sounds likely.

 
Through Bell’s first 6 NFL seasons (2013-2018), he made total 16.24M. 

From 2019-2020 he made 35M. Wow did he ever trick the Jets. 

 
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Edgar said:
Through Bell’s first 6 NFL seasons (2013-2018), he made total 16.24M. 

From 2019-2020 he made 35M. Wow did he ever trick the Jets.
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That was the dumbest signing you can imagine. I hated it from even before when they signed him. It reeked to high heaven of a guy that was falling off of a cliff, and it was.

 
rockaction said:
That was the dumbest signing you can imagine. I hated it from even before when they signed him. It reeked to high heaven of a guy that was falling off of a cliff, and it was.
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I really don’t blame him for how he has handled his contract stuff. He deserved to get paid in Pittsburgh, and he followed the money when he left. It was a stupid move by the Jets financially but adding a big name veteran back to “carry the load” for a young qb seemed like a reasonable strategic move at the time. 

 
Snorkelson said:
I really don’t blame him for how he has handled his contract stuff. He deserved to get paid in Pittsburgh, and he followed the money when he left. It was a stupid move by the Jets financially but adding a big name veteran back to “carry the load” for a young qb seemed like a reasonable strategic move at the time. 
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I don't blame him at all. I do differ from you in that I think the Jets made a horrible decision. That's not 20/20 hindsight. I was screaming to anybody who would listen not to sign him. Not because he was a malcontent, but because he was aging and had just taken a year off, a thing a fair amount of guys can't come back from. Add to that the lack of shape he was often in (for the NFL) and you had a ticking time bomb there.

 
rockaction said:
I don't blame him at all. I do differ from you in that I think the Jets made a horrible decision. That's not 20/20 hindsight. I was screaming to anybody who would listen not to sign him. Not because he was a malcontent, but because he was aging and had just taken a year off, a thing a fair amount of guys can't come back from. Add to that the lack of shape he was often in (for the NFL) and you had a ticking time bomb there.
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Oh I agree with that, but as a rebuilding franchise peddling hope with no stars on offense it was a move that probably sold some jerseys and put more butts in the seats. Let’s be frank; winning isn’t the only thing.

 
Snorkelson said:
Oh I agree with that, but as a rebuilding franchise peddling hope with no stars on offense it was a move that probably sold some jerseys and put more butts in the seats. Let’s be frank; winning isn’t the only thing.
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Yeah, if you look at it that way, sure. That said, I am a Jets fan who agrees with the general consensus in the NFL about running backs, though, so there were no jerseys sold at my expense nor butt in the seat. But I agree about hope and maybe winning a game or two more -- and that was the general consensus in the Jets thread, so even some pretty astute guys agreed with the hope aspect of it. Regardless, it certainly did give a little hope to the casual fan, though even the casual fan is getting a lot savvier than we think.

 
rockaction said:
Yeah, if you look at it that way, sure. That said, I am a Jets fan who agrees with the general consensus in the NFL about running backs, though, so there were no jerseys sold at my expense nor butt in the seat. But I agree about hope and maybe winning a game or two more -- and that was the general consensus in the Jets thread, so even some pretty astute guys agreed with the hope aspect of it. Regardless, it certainly did give a little hope to the casual fan, though even the casual fan is getting a lot savvier than we think.
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Agree with that- between fantasy and legal gambling the causal fan pays closer attention these days. I’m sure most of the guys here wouldn’t have spent on him in an auction dyno startup, but I wonder how many people flipped him when he signed with the chiefs and what the going rate was. Might have to dig through the trade thread.

 
Snorkelson said:
Agree with that- between fantasy and legal gambling the causal fan pays closer attention these days. I’m sure most of the guys here wouldn’t have spent on him in an auction dyno startup, but I wonder how many people flipped him when he signed with the chiefs and what the going rate was. Might have to dig through the trade thread.
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I don't remember anybody really doing that -- in the dynasty trade thread, anyway. Bell was pretty much shot and a vast majority knew it. I think he might have been traded in our Summerpalooza redraft league in the FFA, though. That's certainly possible and without the ramifications of having him for any longer than the duration of the year.

 
Snorkelson said:
I really don’t blame him for how he has handled his contract stuff. He deserved to get paid in Pittsburgh, and he followed the money when he left. It was a stupid move by the Jets financially but adding a big name veteran back to “carry the load” for a young qb seemed like a reasonable strategic move at the time. 
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The Steelers offer was on par with the Jets and he sat out an entire season that was worth over $14 million.  He completely screwed the pooch.  

He got paid yes but he could have made more and maintained his relevancy as a RB by staying with the Steelers.  If his career isn't over yet it is certainly on it's last breath.  

 
Godsbrother said:
The Steelers offer was on par with the Jets and he sat out an entire season that was worth over $14 million.  He completely screwed the pooch.  

He got paid yes but he could have made more and maintained his relevancy as a RB by staying with the Steelers.  If his career isn't over yet it is certainly on it's last breath.  
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On life support for sure...

AB and LB really botched their future.

 
rockaction said:
I don't blame him at all. I do differ from you in that I think the Jets made a horrible decision. That's not 20/20 hindsight. I was screaming to anybody who would listen not to sign him. Not because he was a malcontent, but because he was aging and had just taken a year off, a thing a fair amount of guys can't come back from. Add to that the lack of shape he was often in (for the NFL) and you had a ticking time bomb there.
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I didn't have a problem with the signing, just the amount they committed to him. Figured that while he was a very good RB, he was also probably a product of the (at the time) great Steelers' RB system. Which now seems like it was the case.

Anyway, that's water under the bridge. The Jets are done with him and we still have a ton of cap space to spend - just hopefully not overpaying another RB. 

 
Godsbrother said:
The Steelers offer was on par with the Jets and he sat out an entire season that was worth over $14 million.  He completely screwed the pooch.  

He got paid yes but he could have made more and maintained his relevancy as a RB by staying with the Steelers.  If his career isn't over yet it is certainly on it's last breath.  
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Not sure Bell really cares anymore.  Bell was always playing for the next paycheck.  Many players do but many also had the desire to be great and to compete.  For Bell not to get any touches yesterday tells me Reid has no confidence in him.  Now that he is a step slower he is just a run of the mill RB,

 
Summer Wheat said:
Not sure Bell really cares anymore.  Bell was always playing for the next paycheck.  Many players do but many also had the desire to be great and to compete.  For Bell not to get any touches yesterday tells me Reid has no confidence in him.  Now that he is a step slower he is just a run of the mill RB,
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Lots of money plus a Super Bowl ring. Looks like he's the smart one.

 
Godsbrother said:
If his career isn't over yet it is certainly on it's last breath.  
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I speculated a few months ago his career might be over and my reason is that he's now a $2M or less per year player. If he did not want to play for $14.5M, I'm just not sure he's going to want to play for something closer to league minimum.

 
menobrown said:
I speculated a few months ago his career might be over and my reason is that he's now a $2M or less per year player. If he did not want to play for $14.5M, I'm just not sure he's going to want to play for something closer to league minimum.
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Get a handful of carries for another $1-2 million probably sounds good to most RBs unless they don't want to put in the effort to stay in tip top shape.

 
zamboni said:
Get a handful of carries for another $1-2 million probably sounds good to most RBs unless they don't want to put in the effort to stay in tip top shape.
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He's not the bolded because I don't know any other RB who would skip a whole season that would pay them over $900,000 game.

 
Doug B said:
In hindsight ... would he have stayed good (like top-5 good) in Pittsburgh had he never left?
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Honestly, I think it was less leaving the Steelers and more taking the year off. If he had played one more year in Pittsburgh and then still signed with the Jets, I think he's still possibly starting somewhere now. 

 
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Deamon said:
A lot less players do than you'd think
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I am obviously not in the same wage bracket as an NFL pro, but I do my job because i am good at it (and it pays okayish to well) and not because i love doing it. I have hobbies and passion projects for that.

I imagine it is like that for a lot of NFL players.

 
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Acrobat7 said:
I am obviously not in the same wage bracket than an NFL pro, but I do my job because i am good at it (and it pays okayish to well) and not because i love doing it. I have hobbies and passion projects for that.

I imagine it is like that for a lot of NFL players.
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Exactly.  Everyone automatically thinks that every NFL player LOVES to play football.  Have heard from some ex players that a LOT of them do it for exactly what you said.... They're good at it, it pays good, and they don't have a ton of other options out there that would be NEARLY as high paying.  For many, it's a job... and there's not necessarily anything that wrong with that.  But a lot of the "for the love of the game" is a bit overblown by fans.

 
Deamon said:
Exactly.  Everyone automatically thinks that every NFL player LOVES to play football.  Have heard from some ex players that a LOT of them do it for exactly what you said.... They're good at it, it pays good, and they don't have a ton of other options out there that would be NEARLY as high paying.  For many, it's a job... and there's not necessarily anything that wrong with that.  But a lot of the "for the love of the game" is a bit overblown by fans.
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Yes. Fans try to apply their fanatical approach to players. Same idea as “I hope he gives a hometown discount” etc. It’s a job to a lot of these guys. 

 
Free agent Le'Veon Bell said opponents would call out running plays under ex-Jets coach Adam Gase.

"I don’t consider a 'HB dive' on third and short EVERY TIME an opportunity,” Bell said on Twitter. “We line up, they call out the play, that’s not opportunity, on top of the play being a dive. I can’t make [stuff] shake with that.” Bell blames the Jets' playcalling for his decline the last two seasons. It's not the first time a Jets player has called out Gase, who benched LG Alex Lewis for the final six games of 2020 over similar comments and was criticized by ex-safety Jamal Adams. Bell didn't find much success after his New York release, where he mostly served as a backup in his 12 game run with the Chiefs. The 29-year-old expects to sign with a team before the start of the season.

RELATED: 

Adam Gase

, New York Jets

SOURCE: LeVeon Bell on Twitter

May 28, 2021, 6:12 PM ET
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Saw this earlier. Dude has been irrelevant seeing overestimating his worth and leaving Pittsburgh, and now doesn't want to play for one of the greatest coaches of this generation. :lmao:  

 
Dude would rather retire first or take time off than really do anything football-related, it seems.

His overestimation of his own worth was met by the only organization dumb enough to give him a contract where even his foolishness might be set for life.

Gosh darn Jets.

Maccagnan might go down as the worst GM of the decade and might be in contention for upper echelon entry in the historically bad category.

 
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osubuckeyeman said:
The question is when does he sign and where. I assume either he wants a bit more than teams are willing to pay or teams want to see the options they have now on their rosters and weigh the cost of Bell on the field and off. I don't know Bell and don't assume to know the man's personality but have to weigh the locker room temperature with Bell when you bring him in. 

Miami seems like a place he fits for the on the field aspect. The Panthers could bring him even though they drafted Chuba. The Falcons behind Davis if Bell was going to be cheap enough and Julio was gone. The Bengals might be a good place behind Mixon if they don't believe in Perine but I think they do like him. I see a place for him somewhere. I think before Training camp he will be on a roster. I would hope for Miami if he was on my Dynasty team.
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I don't think he's signing anywhere. He's washed up and not worth the backage.

 
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