Will The Steelers Finalize A Long-Term Contract With Bell Today?

[Eddie Spaghetti]

just not seeing this deal getting done, hope im wrong as LB is a fantastic player

a screwy RB market combined with LBs issues made this one a tough one to get done

can always rent him for another year at 14 million if you decide to go that way

[Slapstick]

Contract structure could be major impediment for Le’Veon Bell, Steelers
Posted by Mike Florio on July 17, 2017, 12:09 PM EDT

It’s easy (but hardly cheap) to determine the basic parameters of a long-term deal with the franchise tag as the starting point. In Pittsburgh, it may not be easy to structure it that way for running back Le’Veon Bell.

The Steelers like to pay out all fully-guaranteed money in the first year, with none of the money guaranteed in year two. For example, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger received his full $31 million guarantee in the form of a signing bonus. Ditto for receiver Antonio Brown, who has no guarantees beyond his $19 million signing bonus.

For Bell, the standard franchise-tag formula calls for his $12.1 million franchise tender for 2017 plus a 20-percent raise for 2018 ($14.52 million) to be fully guaranteed at signing. That’s $26.62 million in full guarantees. Given the way the Steelers do business, that means a signing bonus of at least $25 million.

And that may be more than the Steelers are willing to do for a running back. So then the question becomes whether Bell will accept some other structure (for example, $15 million paid out in 2017 and another $11 million or so in injury-only guarantees for next year) or whether he’ll say, “Screw it. I’ll take $12.1 million this year and either a 20-percent raise or a shot at the market next year.”

Both Kirk Cousins and Trumaine Johnson have demonstrated for all players the value of going year to year. For Bell, a year-to-year game of tag for two years gets him to $26.62 million. The question becomes what alternative amount or structure he’d accept to have a longer-term deal in Pittsburgh.

Since the Steelers don’t want to fully guarantee money beyond year one of any long-term deal, what’s the point of any multi-year contract with the team? If any player should be willing to seriously consider going year-to-year, then, it’s a player in Pittsburgh.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/07/17/contract-structure-could-be-major-impediment-for-leveon-bell-steelers/

So, $19 million guaranteed in year one is somehow worse than $10 million in year one and $9 million in year two?

I just don't think that's a particularly smart take by Florio...

[RuthlessBurgher]

Jason La Canfora
(@JasonLaCanfora)

Steelers still locked in heavy negotiations w/ Le'Veon Bell. Expect it to go down to the wire. To me, RB would be silly not to do deal now

1 hour ago · Twitter

[RuthlessBurgher]

Jeff Darlington
(@JeffDarlington)

It won’t surprise me if Steelers/Bell get deal done in next 2 hours. In '14, Bell’s agent (Adisa Bakari) did last-hours deal w/ Forte/Bears.

2 hours ago · Twitter

[feltdizz]

It's going down to the wire. I still think it gets done. I hope it gets done!

[RuthlessBurgher]

Time is running out on the Steelers and Le'Veon Bell

11:57 AM ET

Jeremy Fowler
ESPN Staff Writer

With Kirk Cousins and Trumaine Johnson widely expected to play out their second consecutive franchise tags, all eyes will be on the Pittsburgh Steelers' negotiations with Le'Veon Bell that are pressing against the 4 p.m. ET deadline.

Franchise tags are often a deadline-fueled standoff, and this appears to be no different.

The Steelers would prefer to complete a long-term deal with Bell, but they will want to keep the money reasonable.

He's expected to play on a $12.1 million tag or an extension with a per-year average of something close to that.

Either way, Bell will soon be the league’s highest-paid back, surpassing LeSean McCoy's $8 million per year.

Here are a few key themes surrounding Bell's negotiation:

1
The Triple B's: Internally, the Steelers want to keep their own triangle offense of Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Bell together for a while. That is a factor in negotiations. But while Big Ben and Brown are playing on contracts worth up to $168 million, Bell was arguably the best player of the three last year while averaging 157 total yards per game, third most ever for a tailback. That should aid Bell’s negotiations as a potential offset of past suspensions and injuries.

2
Finally healthy: Bell has recovered from offseason groin surgery and should be ready for training camp. The Steelers want to preserve Bell’s health, but don’t expect them to limit his carries -- he touched the ball 28 times per game last year, often carrying the offense in the process. Bell has missed playoff action because of injuries in three straight years, but the Steelers don’t consider him brittle. At age 25, Bell should hold up for at least the first few years of a mega deal.

3
"[The Steelers] know I’m not a bonehead": That’s what Bell once told me about his back-to-back drug suspensions. Bell believes his problems with marijuana are behind him. But the Steelers can protect themselves just in case by loading much of Bell’s money into a signing bonus. That way, a player under the league’s substance-abuse program must pay back a portion of the bonus for each game suspended. The Steelers often utilize big signing bonuses to stay in control of the money.

4
Both sides have bargaining chips: The $12.1 million tag is a huge number for a running back, and in 2018 it mushrooms to $14 million. The totals help Bell because a long-term deal would be more manageable than $26 million over two years of franchise tagging. The Steelers can point to their offensive production in Bell’s absence. The Steelers went 10-5 the past two seasons while Bell was hurt or suspended, a stretch during which DeAngelo Williams scored 14 touchdowns. The Steelers know how good Bell is, but they also have a high-level offensive line.

5
Locker room reception: One thing that resonates in the Steelers' locker room is that Bell works harder than just about anybody and was unanimously the team MVP last year. A faction of the locker room might be confused if other key players get paid and Bell does not. Teams don’t negotiate through the locker room, of course, but the players watch these things closely.

http://www.espn.com/blog/pittsburgh-steelers/post/_/id/24233/steelers-standoff-with-leveon-bell-hits-final-hours

[feltdizz]

Welp.... I guess not. Can we get a 3:59 Brewsters Million signing to beat the clock?

[Eddie Spaghetti]

no deal

sucks, but thats the business

[SS Laser]

Nope NFL network said no deal. Playing for tag.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Adam Schefter
(@AdamSchefter)


Steelers and Le'Veon Bell unable to reach agreement today. Bell will play this season under $12.1 million tag, become free agent next year.


5 mins ago · Twitter




Ian Rapoport
(@RapSheet)


The #Steelers and RB Le’Veon Bell did not reach a long-term extension, despite intense negotiations. No deals for any tagged players today.


4 mins ago · Twitter