Bell Rejected Deal After His Agent Agreed

[phillyesq]

Per the PG:

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2017/08/18/LeVeon-Bell-contract-agreement-rejection-agent-five-years-12-million-franchise-tag-post-gazette-exclusive/stories/201708180164

If that is true, I certainly understand the aggravation that Colbert and, to a lesser degree, Tomlin have expressed when discussing Bell. An agent-driven contract dispute is one thing, but it sounds like here they had a deal with the agent that Bell wouldn't agree to.

[Ghost]

Bell: "I’m not a real greedy guy. I don’t play football just for money or things like that. I just want to be valued."

[Slapstick]

I need 15 a year and they know this...

[pittpete]

Next man up.....

[RuthlessBurgher]

Le’Veon Bell may be clearing a path to free agency in 2018
Posted by Mike Florio on August 18, 2017, 2:37 PM EDT

Since the deadline for signing Le'Veon Bell to a long-term deal expired one month and one day ago, the Steelers periodically have tried to make Bell look greedy and unreasonable, from leaking some (but not enough) details about their last, best offer to periodically calling him out for not accepting the one-year franchise tender and showing up for camp to, most recently, making it known that the Steelers had a deal in place with Bell’s agent, but that Bell refused to sign it.

Some may say Bell is behaving stupidly. I’m more inclined to think he’s a genius. Because his tactics, taken together, suggest that the Steelers won’t be tagging him again in 2018.

Why would they, after everything that has happened this year? He won’t show up for the offseason program, he won’t take a long-term deal, he won’t show up for training camp, and he’ll wait until (possibly) the last possible minute to report and still get every penny of the tender. With the tender moving to $14.5 million next year (a 20-percent raise over his current number), the Steelers may not be inclined to do the dance again.

Advantage, Bell. He gets $12.1 million for four months of work and then he gets to hit the open market unfettered in 2018. Unless the Steelers are willing to do once again a dance that has so clearly irritated them in 2017, especially since Bell is one of the rare guys who will push back against the team’s habit of making the rules and having the players blindly comply.

And given that Bell did the unconventional thing of refusing to sign a deal to which his agent had agreed, let’s not rule out the possibility of Bell ultimately doing something unconventional and unexpected regarding the expectation that he’ll show up for Week One.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/08/18/leveon-bell-may-be-clearing-a-path-to-free-agency-in-2018/

[phillyesq]

I'm sure the Steelers are peeved with Bell, but I don't think for a minute that they'd hesitate to tag him again next year, if that was in their plans. Tagging Bell gives you the opportunity to work out a deal, or it gives you one last year of Bell in his prime with no long-term commitment. I think they can - and should - run the wheels of Bell for the next 2 years and then let him walk after 2018.

Alternatively, if they can get 2 first round picks for him next year, or something less than that (say, a first and some combination of later picks), I'd take that deal as well.

[feltdizz]

LMAO.. I know his agent was pissed at missing out on that commission.

[feltdizz]

I'm sure the Steelers are peeved with Bell, but I don't think for a minute that they'd hesitate to tag him again next year, if that was in their plans. Tagging Bell gives you the opportunity to work out a deal, or it gives you one last year of Bell in his prime with no long-term commitment. I think they can - and should - run the wheels of Bell for the next 2 years and then let him walk after 2018.

Alternatively, if they can get 2 first round picks for him next year, or something less than that (say, a first and some combination of later picks), I'd take that deal as well.

yep, and the agent works for Bell, not the other way around.

[Steel Maniac]

Can't wait for us to run the crap out of him this season.

[feltdizz]

Can't wait for us to run the crap out of him this season.

me too.. and next year as well..

are you going to hate cheer for him?

"Good run you greedy bum"
"I hope you score a TD, you freaking liar"

[Slapstick]

me too.. and next year as well..

are you going to hate cheer for him?

"Good run you greedy bum"
"I hope you score a TD, you freaking liar"

That sounds about right...

[RuthlessBurgher]

Le’Veon Bell’s agent denies any agreement on terms with Steelers
Posted by Josh Alper on August 18, 2017, 3:18 PM EDT

According to a report from Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Friday, the Steelers felt they had agreed to terms with Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell‘s agent on a multi-year contract ahead of the July 17 deadline to sign a multi-year deal only to see Bell reject the deal shortly before the deadline passed.

Bell’s agent Adisa Bakari says that’s not the case. Bakari said that there was never an agreement between any of the parties ahead of the deadline.

“All stories to contrary are false,” Bakari said, via Adam Schefter of ESPN.

However things played out, the decision about signing was ultimately Bell’s to make and he didn’t put his name on the dotted line. That’s led to his current absence from Steelers camp and to the Steelers saying that Bell is hurting himself by staying away from the team in a dance that will likely end some time close to the start of the regular season.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/08/18/__trashed-3/

[squidkid]

I'm sure the Steelers are peeved with Bell, but I don't think for a minute that they'd hesitate to tag him again next year, if that was in their plans. Tagging Bell gives you the opportunity to work out a deal, or it gives you one last year of Bell in his prime with no long-term commitment. I think they can - and should - run the wheels of Bell for the next 2 years and then let him walk after 2018.

Alternatively, if they can get 2 first round picks for him next year, or something less than that (say, a first and some combination of later picks), I'd take that deal as well.

this would be the angle i go

[pittpete]

Genius?
If Bell gets injured or suspended this year he has no guaranteed $$$ after this year.
Secondly, what's the big deal that he stays out until the season starts?
Does anyone really think he'd be playing much during meaningless preseason games any way.
If he stays healthy and has a great year, then tag him again...It's a win win for both parties.

[squidkid]

imo, whichever teams signs bell to a long term contract will eventually regret it.