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Again, pretty sure 3 is not a real option. Once he signs the franchise tag, his team (whether it be the Steelers or a team he's traded to) can't negotiate a new contract while under the franchise contract. That means, IMO, he is possibly utilizing option 2?
Don't believe option 3 is fully available. Can force a trade but can't sign a long term deal. I think.
I didn't think any team can negotiate a long term deal with him until the offseason.
I don't think #3 is possible - he has to play under the franchise tag this year even if he is traded.
It might not play well, but it would be a logical business decision. The Steelers worked the hell out of him last year. On this board (and I'm sure in other places), I've seen people advocating for "running him into the ground" since he won't be back on Pitt next year.
The offense does have something to do with it, but teams already know how good Bell is. That's not going to change if Conner does well.
Not saying you guys are wrong, but if so, what is he hoping to accomplish by sitting out? Avoiding wear and tear? Because going to a new team and playing out the tag doesn't really do him much good, other than potentially hurting his value if he doesn't perform as well after being thrown into a new situation.
this was my assumption, that Steelers will do this to Bell this season, as soon as they franchised him. Bell and his agent are correct on their assumption imo and steelers have shown their hand, even last season, even if we don't like their actions here.
I think I've been reading too many threads at sites dedicated to PIT but there is a sentiment that Bell is already declining (they point towards his YPC and the fact that he only had a handful of explosive plays [20+ yard runs] last year) and they also bring up the fact that their offense was better when Bell was injured/suspended because it was less predictable and Haley would lean more on the vertical passing game.
Nothing, which is why (IMO) it's more likely that he's planning on sitting out a significant part of the year than just missing one or two games. The only thing to gain is less wear and tear on his body. He's giving up close to $1M each game he misses; for that to make sense, he must be hoping that avoiding the heavy workload Pitt probably has planned for him will make up for that money.
Was thinking the same thing. Bell gets traded to, say, Seattle, plays out under the franchise tag, and then next year at 12:01 on the first day of free agency he magically comes to terms on a LT deal with the Seahawks. Or would the NFL crack down on an obvious end-run around the rules like that?
I don't think there's much the NFL could do without proof, but if you're Bell, you're in the same situation: if you get hurt, this "wink-wink, nudge-nudge" deal might vanish. Until it's in writing, it doesn't really exist.
Good point. So I guess it ultimately boils down to whether all the arguments in favor of playing (be a team guy, show he cares about winning, etc) outweigh the argument for maximizing his long-term value by sitting out and avoiding wear and tear. I've been trying to figure out if there are other considerations at play, but I don't think there are.
Not sure I see any benefit to anyone to discuss a long term deal with Bell during this season, since nothing can be done about it till next offseason anyway.
And would Seattle honor that contract if he had a devastating injury? Guessing no, so really no point in under the sheets negotiating until next years free agency.
I do find this interesting. Johnny Football is spotted in costumes when nobody is even looking for him, but we have zilch on any Bell sightings by anyone in the damn world. Weird.
Ummmm, they can't trade him because he won't sign. He isn't going to sign just to go to another team and risk whatever it is he is currently trying to accomplish
Exactly. I mean, wasn't his trainer mentioned in here somewhere? One would think someone would have a shot of him heading to or leaving the gym. Something.
If a guy getting maybe 40 rushing yards is more promising than your current starting TE, then you're in a lot of trouble.
Obviously he doesnt sign the tag unless the team trading for him hasnt at least made a hypothetical offer to his agent(wink wink). Seattle can swing it. Let him run behind that POS Oline, he wont be worth $14M, let alone the $17M he wants.
I think even the people on Bell's side should agree with this - it's certainly his right to hold out for 10 weeks if that is his intention but he should be up-front about his plans.
A hypothetical "wink wink" doesn't matter much if he blows out his knee or tears his ACL. Sure, people recover from things like that now, but do you think he's going to get a massive deal coming off an ACL tear, with the amount of mileage he has on him in his short career?
Why? Neither you or I know how the negotiations of the last few years went down. Perhaps Bell is a little upset about how the Steelers didn't "do right by him," after he saw them do so by Brown, after he saw them do right several times by Ben, after he saw the Rams do right by Gurley? Why should he go out of his way to do them any favors.
They get nothing. The only way a team trades for him is if they lost their RB & have a legit shot at playoffs/SB. This will be the very definition of a "rental" player. This new team can't sign him to a long term deal, and after the last few years, I'm sure Bell will want to test the FA market.
I don't agree with this even if they did give him a "low ball" offer (not going to argue the numbers because we don't really know for sure). The Steelers value Bell at a certain price over the next 5 years given their roster, etc. Bell disagreed, and he can earn 14.5 million this year if he plays the whole year (not arguing whether he should/shouldn't hold out). The Steelers don't want to pay him "Gurley Money" so the only other option for both parties is the franchise tag. Both parties doing what is in their best interest.
The whole point of this exercise looks be to help himself. If he is doing this (holding out a significant amount of games), he's doing it because it is in HIS best interests. There's no logical reason to expect him to help the Steelers out. The fact that he's doing this is a bit of a sign that he feels that the Steelers haven't gone out of their way to help him out, so what does he owe them?
But you want that to change now? Bell telling Pitt when he wants to report isn't in his best interest, yet you argue that he should do so. Doesn't make logical sense.
Why? Because it's the right thing to do. Ever heard of taking the high road? You can be honorable even if feel you are being screwed by someone.
I should have said by "screwed by the CBA". The Steelers don't have any options now but to pay him 14.5 or let him walk.
Exactly, the last sentence tells you all you need to know about the guy. Good riddance.
So nobody should be upset that Bell is doing what is in his best interests. Steeler could care less about Bell. Why should he care about the Steelers?
