Le'Veon Bell

[steeler_george]

Schefter: Steelers May Still Use Transition Tag On Le’Veon Bell

By Alex Kozora
Posted on February 3, 2019

The Le’Veon Bell saga isn’t over just yet. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Pittsburgh Steelers are “still considering” placing the transition tag on Bell. From Schefter:

“Pittsburgh’s decision depends on how much another team would value Bell and whether the Steelers would be willing to match the offer sheet.”

During the regular season, Bell told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler the Steelers told Bell they would transition him should the two sides not hammer out a long-term deal. Bell skipped all of 2018 in response. As Schefter notes, the value of the tag would become murky.

“There also is a battle brewing between the NFL and and NFL Players Association over the value of what the transition tag would be on Bell if the Steelers did use it. Bell and the NFLPA will argue that the transition tag is close to $14.5 million based on the escalating value of tags, and the Steelers and the NFL will say it’s closer to $9.5 million because Bell sat out this past season.”

It’s difficult to see Pittsburgh being able to retain Bell should they transition him. Matching a contract seems unlikely for two big reasons. One, other teams are going to offer more, the Steelers have already given their best offer, and two, most organizations structure their deals differently than Pittsburgh, offering more guaranteed money.

If they ultimately tag and lose him, they’ll have wasted time and tied up money. They also won’t receive compensatory value like they would if they let him test free agency (where they can still compete to bring him back, by the way).

February 19th marks the first day teams can use the transition or franchise tag on players. The deadline to do so is March 5th at 4 PM. Should the Steelers go that route, it wouldn’t be the first time under Kevin Colbert they’ve transitioned a player. Max Starks and Jason Worilds received such a designation in 2008 and 2014, respectively. Click here for a full list of tagged players in franchise history.

https://steelersdepot.com/2019/02/sc...n-leveon-bell/

Here are my thoughts,

1) Bell lost the bet on himself. His value dropped. Teams are weary to have another Gurley ( great player, but he has been out all of the playoffs). Even the Jets, who were linked to Bell, claim that they won't go broke for Bell.

2) I am not against this if it nets us a draft pick this year, even if they get a high 4th and a 5th. ( Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't compensations picks added after the last picks in that round, between the rounds, before the next round starts). So a compensation pick in the 3rd round is really is a high pick in the 4th.

3) We do have the rolled over cap space from last year to be tied up, to keep Bell rights. I doubt we will be aggressive in FA, we will go on with the Steeler approach to FA, so again we won't go bonkers and need all that $$$ And if we are aggressive in FA, it might cancel out losing Bell's comp picks in FA. And if we see there are no teams, we can always pull it to free up cap space. The question is though if we do pull the transaction tag do we get compensation for losing him in FA.

[Iron City Inc.]

You are correct about the comp picks however if we sign a f/a or 2 that could offset the loss of Bell. No guarantee a high comp pick or any comp pick for that matter. We would be better off matching and keeping him or trading him.

[Northern_Blitz]

I think using the transition tag would be a terrible idea.

I don't think we're going to match a market value offer anyway and I'd rather we had the flexibility of the extra cap space when there are still good players available.

[Mr.wizard]

I think using the transition tag would be a terrible idea.

I don't think we're going to match a market value offer anyway and I'd rather we had the flexibility of the extra cap space when there are still good players available.

I don't really see any advantage to using the transition tag, unless they really want to sign Bell there is no upside.

[steeler_george]

I am just keeping all options open, never know , if there is a team "that is not a preferred choice of destination", like Buffalo, who wants to get in the Bell sweepstakes, and only way is gain his rights from us.

But for this to work we need to have a gentleman's agreement before we tag him.

[Iron City Inc.]

I don't really see any advantage to using the transition tag, unless they really want to sign Bell there is no upside.

The advantage would be after we match we trade him or keep him.

[Mr.wizard]

The advantage would be after we match we trade him or keep him.

The problem is the price of the tag it's going to be huge, it would be tough to trade.

[Iron City Inc.]

The problem is the price of the tag it's going to be huge, it would be tough to trade.

If someone makes that big money offer that is obviously the team who likes bell n we hope they would give up a pick for him as well once we match. Jets would be a team that comes to mind just to name one.

[Mr.wizard]

If someone makes that big money offer that is obviously the team who likes bell n we hope they would give up a pick for him as well once we match. Jets would be a team that comes to mind just to name one.

I see what you are saying, that could be a possible angle.

[SS Laser]

Big Gamble to get what pick in return? I just can't wrap my head around this. I guess more then one team could offer up picks once the Steelers matched the offer from which ever team. Only see doing this if you want to keep him. But why at the money it's going to take. At least Gurley money.
What does that say to Conner?

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

I don't really see any advantage to using the transition tag, unless they really want to sign Bell there is no upside.

The advantage comes in the market value for Bell likely being below the offer that the Steelers already offered him. That is if the team believes that it is. If the Steelers get the signing team to believe that they are likely to match (considering that they've already offered more) then they ask for a draft pick in order to not use their matching rights.

If the Steelers expect to be active in free agency this year then there is little value in just letting him sign elsewhere.

[Steel Maniac]

The advantage comes in the market value for Bell likely being below the offer that the Steelers already offered him. That is if the team believes that it is. If the Steelers get the signing team to believe that they are likely to match (considering that they've already offered more) then they ask for a draft pick in order to not use their matching rights.

If the Steelers expect to be active in free agency this year then there is little value in just letting him sign elsewhere.

I like the idea of getting something for him. Instead of just letting an asset walk away and not get nothing.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Inside the next potential fight between Le'Veon Bell and the Steelers

12:00 AM ET

Jeremy Fowler
ESPN Staff Writer

PITTSBURGH -- The NFL's most compelling contract saga is in a slumber. Le'Veon Bell is in a dimly lit recording studio somewhere in Miami. The Pittsburgh Steelers are debating whether to trade the most productive wide receiver of the past decade. The wounds from Bell's yearlong holdout over the franchise tag are no longer raw, allowing both sides to weigh their business options.

This brings us to a collectively bargained tool that could intensify the Bell-Steelers divorce to Hollywood levels: the transition tag.

Here's where things stand. In mid-January, Steelers team president Art Rooney II said, "We don't have to close any doors" on Bell's future. On Sunday, ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported that the team is still considering the transition tag for Bell.

This would add a fascinating layer for the reasons it makes sense, for the reasons it doesn't and for the contention it would inevitably create.

Placing a cheaper value on Bell after two years of franchise tags that bred little positivity would only widen the gulf between player and team. But nothing is simple with Bell's contract fight, so perhaps this is a fitting conclusion to a wild 24 months.

Talks with several NFL sources paint the transition tag as the Steelers' risk-reward plight that could involve the NFLPA, the NFL Management Council and an independent arbitrator.

Let's begin with the basics and then crack open the deeper issues involved.

What is the transition tag?

The transition tag is a one-year designation that typically pays less salary than the franchise tag and gives the team the chance to match any offer from another team.

If the Steelers had transition tagged Bell two years ago, for example, Bell would have received the average salary among the top 10 players at his position, instead of the top five salaries for franchised players.

A new team can offer a transitioned player a long-term contract after the start of the league year, and the original team -- in this case, the Steelers -- has five days to match or let the player walk.

When must the Steelers apply the transition tag?

The designating window for franchise or transition players begins Feb. 19. The deadline is 4 p.m. March 5.

How much is this year's transition tag worth for Bell?

Bell has played under one tag, worth $12.1 million in 2017. A previously tagged player of one season is due 120 percent of his previous salary on a new tag, according to the Collective Bargaining Agreement. That would put Bell at $14.5 million.

But the Steelers can argue that Bell's transition tag is closer to $9.5 million. The logic seems to be that since Bell sat out, the original transition formula resets.

The spirit of the system calls for incremental increases in franchise or transition pay -- 120 for the second year, 144 percent for the third. If Bell's holdout prompts the Steelers to utilize gray area to massage tag structure, the NFLPA would fight them on it.

More on that in a minute.

What's up with the franchise tag? Would the Steelers apply it?

The reason some rule out a third exclusive franchise tag is most likely Article 10, Section 2-B of the CBA, which states that the third tag pays the average of the top five salaries "for players at the position with the highest such average." The CBA gives an example of kickers on a third tag getting quarterback money.

That would put Bell well over $20 million for 2019. The Steelers won't pay that. Teams can target Bell on a non-exclusive franchise tag but at the cost of two first-round picks, which no one is paying.

But once again, Bell's sitting out 2018 can change the interpretation. Section 2 also references salary applicable to the "most recently negotiated player contract," leaving one industry source believing that Bell's franchise tag would be $14.5 million again (with the standard 120 percent increase from his 2017 deal).

Either way, Bell must feel confident enough in the language that the Steelers wouldn't use that tag. Even at $14.5 million, the Steelers must allocate that cap space for a player who isn't signing.

The threat of Bell sitting out a second year would be very real at that point.

Why is the transition tag a good idea for the Steelers?

It allows them to do two things: keep Bell if they choose and exercise whatever power they have left.

Despite Bell's holdout that angered dozens of teammates, there's a faction of the Steelers' organization that has a soft spot for Bell. They drafted him and helped him develop into an All-Pro. Walking away from that isn't easy.

By waiting until the March 5 deadline to tag him, they can drag this out and hold rights for as long as possible, even if the looming offer elsewhere makes posturing moot.

Why is the transition tag a bad idea for the Steelers?

The Steelers likely get no draft compensation if they tag him and don't match an outside offer. It has been written that the Steelers can use the transition as a way to trade Bell. But only Bell actually signing the transition tag can enable a trade, according to multiple people with direct knowledge of NFL contracts.

By doing so, Bell would forfeit his rights and give the Steelers control of where he goes and how he gets there.

That's not happening with a player with the conviction to sit out a year.

When the Chicago Bears transition tagged corner Kyle Fuller last offseason, the Green Bay Packers offered him a four-year, $56 million deal. The Bears matched that deal, but had they refused, they weren't getting picks from Green Bay.

A league source told me that if a player signs his transition and gets traded to a new team, the franchise tag designation starts all over again, essentially placing Bell in the same franchise vortex he fought to avoid.

Basically, the Steelers and another team would have to set up one elaborate wink-wink deal with Bell to execute a sign-and-trade.

Then how do the Steelers get draft picks out of this?

The cleanest way remains letting Bell walk to earn a compensatory pick for 2020. A lucrative contract for Bell could equal a third-round pick.

Why is Bell prepared for the transition tag?

Bell told ESPN in October that the Steelers told him over the summer that they would transition tag him. That was before Bell abandoned the season, of course. But Bell said he welcomes the transition because he can negotiate in earnest and get what he considers a fair contract.

If the Steelers place the transition tag on Bell and push for the lower number, how will this play out before free agency?

The NFLPA would likely file a grievance against the NFL's management council alleging fraudulent use of the tag. That would spark a special master hearing to happen in early March before free agency. An independent arbitrator would handle it.

Who wins in that case?

It's hard to say that either side comes out of this mess victorious. If arbitration rules in Bell's favor, he gets the higher number he most likely won't play on anyway. If the Steelers win the ruling, they gain precedent but not much more.

And both sides move on, exhausted.

http://www.espn.com/blog/pittsburgh-steelers/post/_/id/30104/inside-the-next-potential-fight-between-leveon-bell-and-steelers

[Northern_Blitz]

If someone makes that big money offer that is obviously the team who likes bell n we hope they would give up a pick for him as well once we match. Jets would be a team that comes to mind just to name one.

Let's say a team gives him a market value offer and he signs it.

Then we need to match it or let him go.

If we match it with the intent to trade him, we are then assuming that the other team would be willing to pay him market value AND trade assets to get him. I don't think that's necessarily the case.

[Northern_Blitz]

I like the idea of getting something for him. Instead of just letting an asset walk away and not get nothing.

I don't think we'll end up getting anything for Bell.

I think the transition tag ties up too much money at the beginning of the UFA period so we won't put it on him. So, I don't think we'll trade him for anything.

And, I think that this is the one year where we sign a medium to upper-medium UFA or two (my guess is one bigger name and one med-level name). So, I don't think we'll get a comp pick for him either.

It ends up being crappy asset management, but I think the team thought he was going to play on the tag last year.