Le'Veon Bell

[Northern_Blitz]

....
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?

....

This was an interesting article. It's still a bit of a mystery to me how a sign and trade would work (I think it generally wouldn't).

I didn't know that signing and trading him on the transition tag resets the franchise tag value for him.

I think letting him walk is the best way forward (even though I agree with Maniac that it sucks not to get assets back).

[hawaiiansteel]

[RuthlessBurgher]

Pittsburgh’s reported plan for Le’Veon Bell would violate the CBA

Posted by Mike Florio on February 7, 2019, 8:32 PM EST

NFL teams love to embrace the provisions of the CBA that give them leverage and options. And NFL teams love to ignore the provisions of the CBA that limit their power.

On both sides of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, NFL teams currently are contemplating the application of a tag in a manner that would violate the labor deal, which expressly requires that any team that extends the franchise or transition tender must have a good-faith intention to employ the player at the amount of the tender.

The Eagles reportedly are considering using the franchise tag in order to facilitate a trade of quarterback Nick Foles, not to pay $25 million in 2019 to a backup quarterback. Likewise, the Steelers reportedly are considering using the transition tag in order to pull off what would be a more convoluted effort to trade running back Le'Veon Bell.

As explained by Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “Ideally, the Steelers would find a team interested in Bell, place the transition tag on him, sign him and trade him to that interested team the same day.”

But the ideal scenario will require the cooperation of Bell and his agent, Adisa Bakari. Bell can’t be traded unless and until he signs the transition tender. If he doesn’t sign it, he can’t be traded.

The ideal scenario also relies on Bell and Bakari not filing a grievance challenging the Steelers’ effort to tag Bell solely to trade him, and not to employ him at whatever the amount of the transition tender would be. (The fact that he skipped all of the 2018 season complicates the analysis, although the better argument seems to be that he’d be entitled to his $14.54 million franchise tender amount from last season.)

The better approach would be to tag Bell, wait for someone to sign him to a long-term deal, match the offer, and then trade him, either to the team that signed him to the offer or someone else. (A trade to the team that signed Bell to the offer sheet would require the express consent of Bell.)

Although the Steelers’ tag-and-trade plan would violate the CBA, a plan to tag him and keep him would defy common sense, especially with both James Conner and Jaylen Samuels operating under far more reasonably-priced rookie deals.

So if the Steelers apply the transition tag, Bell should fight it. It’s a fight he could win.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/02/07/pittsburghs-reported-plan-for-leveon-bell-would-violate-the-cba/

[Steel Maniac]

This was an interesting article. It's still a bit of a mystery to me how a sign and trade would work (I think it generally wouldn't).

I didn't know that signing and trading him on the transition tag resets the franchise tag value for him.

I think letting him walk is the best way forward (even though I agree with Maniac that it sucks not to get assets back).

Well, the Steelers management is thinking about something because the stories I've recently seen say they are thinking of tagging Bell. They definitely under the mindset of getting something for an asset and not letting an asset go for nothing. Which is what every business does. Personally, it's been such a distraction to the team and the fanbase, it might be best to just let him go.

[Northern_Blitz]

Well, the Steelers management is thinking about something because the stories I've recently seen say they are thinking of tagging Bell. They definitely under the mindset of getting something for an asset and not letting an asset go for nothing. Which is what every business does. Personally, it's been such a distraction to the team and the fanbase, it might be best to just let him go.

It's possible. But I think everywhere that talks about the potential of using the transition tag uses Bell (or Bell's agent) as a source. Apparently they said the Steelers told them this during negotiations.

So I think it's still the same year old rumor. But, writing new stories about it still drives clicks.

[Steel Maniac]

It's possible. But I think everywhere that talks about the potential of using the transition tag uses Bell (or Bell's agent) as a source. Apparently they said the Steelers told them this during negotiations.

So I think it's still the same year old rumor. But, writing new stories about it still drives clicks.

I have to disagree based on this...it's not Bell's people: Read below:

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac reports the Steelers are considering using the transition tag on Le'Veon Bell in an effort to trade him.

To be frank, this line of thought does not make much sense. Bell would first have to sign the transition tag for any trade to be completed, locking him into another one-year deal at likely less money than the one he walked away from last season. He could sign a long-term deal with his new team, but that would require something of a leap of faith. Furthermore, teams are allowed to negotiate and agree to offer sheets with transition tagged players. Once that happens, the Steelers would either have to match, which they reportedly have no interest in doing, or receive zero compensation. It is likely Pittsburgh will have to settle for a compensatory pick in 2020 as compensation for Bell.
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

[Steel Maniac]

Gerry Dulac is getting that from the Steelers management side. I don't think it's about "clicks" with him.

[NorthCoast]

Bell's got himself a Mercedes! (Dollson)

[Iron City Inc.]

You don't transition him in the first place if your not considering the match then sign n trade. They have to be considering that or it's moot.

[Steel Maniac]

No need for anyone to have to drop 10 mil a year on Bell.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/2019-nfl-draft-ranking-all-25-rbs-to-know-from-devin-singletary-to-mike-weber/

[Steel Maniac]

Management is going to transition tag Bell........they are not letting him walk and get nothing for their asset. I don't blame them.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/steelers-reportedly-readying-transition-tag-for-leveon-bell-want-to-find-a-trade-for-star-rb/

[Northern_Blitz]

Management is going to transition tag Bell........they are not letting him walk and get nothing for their asset. I don't blame them.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/s...e-for-star-rb/

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.

[brothervad]

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.

I have to agree in large part with your take NB. I really don't understand the Steelers FO at this point. LB isn't going to sign off on a trade, no team is going to give them anything when they know they can put a poison pill in place in order to get LB, and they will end up removing the tag.

This just seems to be the most immature, chest thumping, false bravado that WE ARE IN CONTROL NOT YOU LeVeon.

What a waste of time and it rings as impudent/hollow.

Now today in the PG there is an article that says that advanced analytics that the Steelers missed LB, a lot

https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2019/02/15/leveon-bell-trade-rumors-nfl-free-agency-james-conner/stories/201902140182

The Steelers FO doesn't seem to have much of a strategy on how to handle these guys other than keep on saying "WE HAVE THE POWER"

Well color me unimpressed (not that they care about what I think)...

brothervad

[Northern_Blitz]

Management is going to transition tag Bell........they are not letting him walk and get nothing for their asset. I don't blame them.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/s...e-for-star-rb/

This is a bit like the minority ownership letter story you posted about before.

Here is the Dulac article all of these things reference to: https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/...s/201902140185

The article basically says: "The Steelers appear to still be interested in tagging Bell, but it's a bad idea for many reasons."

There is no source given for tagging Bell in the Dulac article. But, he references back to another article he wrote last week where he says "The Steelers might still place the transition tag on running back Le’Veon Bell, but it is likely with the intention of trading him and not because they want him for another season, according to sources."

That's more like the other report where it's apparently second hand information from unnamed sources.

https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2019/02/07/le-veon-bell-transition-tag-steelers-news/stories/201902070124

Again, maybe it's true but the article doesn't provide any support that it's true.

And I don't know how you can say he's not about the clicks when he wrote these two stories a week apart and they both same the same thing and that thing is mostly speculation and unconfirmed rumors.

[papillon]

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