Le'Veon Bell

[Steel Maniac]

It's great if they could make something like this work. But I don't see why a team would trade for him when it seems pretty unlikely that the Steelers would match any deal that has a signing bonus in it.

If I wanted Bell on my team, I would just submit an offer when he was on the transition tag. Assuming I understand the salary cap constraints, I think the Steelers would be foolish to match it and then try to trade Bell. If we did that, I think we'd be in the same position as we are with Brown. We'd have to eat the whole signing bonus in the first year of the deal and the team we'd be trading him to would only be responsible for his annual salary (and any future roster / workout bonuses).

So I don't see how the strategy of matching and trading is anything but an empty threat.

And we can't trade him on the tag deal unless he signs it. I don't think he'd sign a transition tag when he just sat out a whole year refusing to sign a franchise tag.

I'd be all for it if we could get an asset back for Bell. But, I don't see how that can happen.

Maybe you can explain how you think it would go down? I tried to explain why I think it would be a bad idea above.

At this point, they just want something for their asset. Plus it gives them an opportunity to send him where they want to send him. If there are more then two teams that really want him, then this is a good move to get something for him. And he's going to sign the tag because he can't go another year without football.

[Steel Maniac]

So, before everyone jumps on management for not knowing the situation, let's consider some other things.

1) Antonio Brown was not asking for a trade many months ago
2) The Steelers may have reconsidered Bell's value to the team

So, you're Art Rooney II, Colbert and Mike Tomlin, you now have two disgruntled stars wanting out but you have some leverage with one (Brown) and none with the other (Bell). Could the Steelers be thinking in the following manner, let's trade Brown for a bag of chips if it comes to that but that's doubtful, I think they'll get a 2nd or 3rd, maybe a 4ht and 5th or something similar, so now you shed Brown. Bell's best offer is 15.5 million per year for 4 years with 25 guaranteed. I doubt he gets the 17 he's looking for, so I think a total deal of about 61 million is probably out there. The Steelers match and keep Bell, lose Brown, Conner is the lead back and Bell is your 2nd back and slot receiver, he's on the filed for nearly every offensive play, he's explosive and protects the ball. Conner gets the lion's share of the carriers, Bell takes what's left and gets 100 plus targets, to help ease the double teams on Juju.

Take the emotion out of it and see if there is a scenario in which Bell stays, Brown is gone and the Steelers are a better team. Maybe Bell has burned this bridge but it doesn't appear to be the case based on rumors and reports coming from the Steelers.

Pappy

Pappy, I think your pipe dreaming. They just want something for Bell. They don't want him back on this team as a player.

[papillon]

Pappy, I think your pipe dreaming. They just want something for Bell. They don't want him back on this team as a player.

The Steelers don't or the fans don't? It's a business and the Steelers own two of the most highly sought after commodities, the status quo has changed with Brown's antics over the past few weeks.

I acknowledge that it may be a pipe dream, the Steelers must be thinking of something if they actually transition Bell, they'll either be on the hook for a contract they don't want to pay or they lose him and get nothing. I have to believe that Colbert, Tomlin and Rooney have a clue.


Pappy

[Northern_Blitz]

So, before everyone jumps on management for not knowing the situation, let's consider some other things.

1) Antonio Brown was not asking for a trade many months ago
2) The Steelers may have reconsidered Bell's value to the team

So, you're Art Rooney II, Colbert and Mike Tomlin, you now have two disgruntled stars wanting out but you have some leverage with one (Brown) and none with the other (Bell). Could the Steelers be thinking in the following manner, let's trade Brown for a bag of chips if it comes to that but that's doubtful, I think they'll get a 2nd or 3rd, maybe a 4ht and 5th or something similar, so now you shed Brown. Bell's best offer is 15.5 million per year for 4 years with 25 guaranteed. I doubt he gets the 17 he's looking for, so I think a total deal of about 61 million is probably out there. The Steelers match and keep Bell, lose Brown, Conner is the lead back and Bell is your 2nd back and slot receiver, he's on the filed for nearly every offensive play, he's explosive and protects the ball. Conner gets the lion's share of the carriers, Bell takes what's left and gets 100 plus targets, to help ease the double teams on Juju.

Take the emotion out of it and see if there is a scenario in which Bell stays, Brown is gone and the Steelers are a better team. Maybe Bell has burned this bridge but it doesn't appear to be the case based on rumors and reports coming from the Steelers.

Pappy

That's an interesting thought.

We'll see soon enough

[Northern_Blitz]

At this point, they just want something for their asset. Plus it gives them an opportunity to send him where they want to send him. If there are more then two teams that really want him, then this is a good move to get something for him. And he's going to sign the tag because he can't go another year without football.

Can you explain how you think this happens?

I think you are saying
(1) we tag him
(2) multiple teams want him but don't give him an offer
(3) Bell signs the tag because there are no long term offers available
(4) multiple teams then want to trade for him on the tag contract
(5) we sell to the highest bidder.

I don't understand how the logistics of a trade would work. This is what I think it would look like, but it doesn't make sense to me that he signs the tag without waiting as long as he can to field long term offers. Or that teams would want to trade assets, get him on a one year deal at a big number, then have no certainty for a long term deal.

My understanding is also that Bell resets the franchise tag clock by signing the transition tag and getting traded. So he'd be going to a new team on a 1 year deal and that team could tag him at the base franchise level.

I have also heard that Bell would have to agree to any trade whilr he was on the tag.

[Mr.wizard]

Can you explain how you think this happens?

I think you are saying
(1) we tag him
(2) multiple teams want him but don't give him an offer
(3) Bell signs the tag because there are no long term offers available
(4) multiple teams then want to trade for him on the tag contract
(5) we sell to the highest bidder.

I don't understand how the logistics of a trade would work. This is what I think it would look like, but it doesn't make sense to me that he signs the tag without waiting as long as he can to field long term offers. Or that teams would want to trade assets, get him on a one year deal at a big number, then have no certainty for a long term deal.

My understanding is also that Bell resets the franchise tag clock by signing the transition tag and getting traded. So he'd be going to a new team on a 1 year deal and that team could tag him at the base franchise level.

I have also heard that Bell would have to agree to any trade whilr he was on the tag.

First he has to sign the tag, once he signs teams don't have to trade they can simply make him an offer, then the Steelers have the choice to match or not. The only way we could trade him would be to match the teams offer, sign him to the contract and try and trade him.

[pittpete]

First he has to sign the tag, once he signs teams don't have to trade they can simply make him an offer, then the Steelers have the choice to match or not. The only way we could trade him would be to match the teams offer, sign him to the contract and try and trade him.

Pretty certain you're incorrect..
Bell doesn't sign and then look for an offer.
He has to bring the offer and the Steelers can match or let him go to the other team.
If he gets no offers than he can sign the transition tag contract.
Then the Steelers can sign him to a contract and trade him.

The transition tag effectively turns an unrestricted free agent into a restricted one, though without the added team security of receiving draft picks should the player leave. By tagging Bell, Pittsburgh could sit back and wait for other teams to make offers on the All-Pro tailback. Once he gets an offer to his liking, he’ll start the clock on the Steelers’ seven-day window to either match the contract or let him walk. That would give Pittsburgh the opportunity to re-sign Bell at a lower figure should his market never materialize, or use its transition tag-given right to sign him to an astronomical deal, then trade him to whichever interested party is offering the biggest return for Bell and his new contract.

[Mr.wizard]

Pretty certain you're incorrect..
Bell doesn't sign and then look for an offer.
He has to bring the offer and the Steelers can match or let him go to the other team.
If he gets no offers than he can sign the transition tag contract.
Then the Steelers can sign him to a contract and trade him.

Your right he doesn't need to sign the tag, the tag only needs to be applied.

[pittpete]

Yes.....................

[Disco1981]

That's an interesting thought.

We'll see soon enough

But Bell is NOT explosive...He runs a 4.7 last I heard...He " averaged" 3.9 ypc and 7.7 ypr his last year here...

Gurley by comparison averaged 4.7 ypc and 14.7 ypr...Bell is NOT an explosive player, quite the opposite...

He is a workhorse RB who catches a ton of dump offs as a safety valve...If you view him as a full time receiver, you will be highly dissapointed...He is not a receiver, He is a sure handed RB who catches a ton of dump offs, Because of the talent we have at WR

[Steel Maniac]

Ssssshhhhhh... you gonna drive down Bell’s market value.

[Ernie]

But Bell is NOT explosive...He runs a 4.7 last I heard...He " averaged" 3.9 ypc and 7.7 ypr his last year here...

Gurley by comparison averaged 4.7 ypc and 14.7 ypr...Bell is NOT an explosive player, quite the opposite...

He is a workhorse RB who catches a ton of dump offs as a safety valve...If you view him as a full time receiver, you will be highly dissapointed...He is not a receiver, He is a sure handed RB who catches a ton of dump offs, Because of the talent we have at WR

I agree with this. Bell has several qualities that make him a good RB (vision, blocker, sure handed receiver, etc) but explosiveness (a relative term) is not one that comes to mind.

[hawaiiansteel]

Steelers: Multiple reports have indicated that the Steelers plan to use the transition tag on running back Le'Veon Bell, apparently in the hopes of trading him. If so, things could get even uglier, with a fight over the amount of the tag and a determined lack of cooperation from Bell, who would need to go along with the plan in order for the plan to work the way the Steelers would like it to.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/02/17/team-by-team-look-at-potential-2019-tag-candidates/

[Mr.wizard]

Buckle up!!!!!!

[SteelBucks]

Steelers: Multiple reports have indicated that the Steelers plan to use the transition tag on running back Le'Veon Bell, apparently in the hopes of trading him. If so, things could get even uglier, with a fight over the amount of the tag and a determined lack of cooperation from Bell, who would need to go along with the plan in order for the plan to work the way the Steelers would like it to.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ag-candidates/

Good. Make this as miserable as possible for Bell.