He is going to end up firing his agent for bad advice when this is all said and done.. Does he really think some team is going to offer him a mega contract after this act he is pulling? He will be a year older next year and running backs just don’t get big deals. If he sits out 10 weeks he is going to pass up $8.5mm. He isn’t going to make that up and no team is going to give him some mega contract as a rb.
And it’s not “one year older”. It’s one year with less wear and tear on his body.
Bells advice is just fine, maybe you don’t understand how the NFL works. The Jets, for example, have a ton of cap space available and will be willing spenders in 2019 FA. They will be a likely destination.
He will get a huge deal barring injury, it’s virtually a guarantee.
Think back to Jamal Anderson with the Falcons in 98. He carried 410 times for 1800+ yards and carried the Falcons to a 14-2 record and the Super Bowl...and he was essentially shot after that, missed more than half of his games the next 3 years and was out of the league.
There’s always a knee jerk reaction by many fans that the player is all about the money and doesn’t care about the team. But it’s reasonable to think about a player looking to protect his earnings potential and long term health too
She has to get a whole lot of pampers and her nails & hair done.
He has a right to look out for his own interest, but he threw up a middle finger to his teammates and fans. And yes management is at fault as well, but he is refusing to play for $14.5M.
Despite Gurley and Johnson getting paid, I'm not sure if other teams are now of the mindset to pay RBs their just due. Especially paying a free agent back with some mileage.
Great players get paid, who’s the last one that wasn’t?
Also as pointed out above I doubt the agent convinced him to do any of this. I would guess the opposite in fact.
That doesn’t make sense in the business world. First, if he wasn’t a team player because of this then why offer anything at all? You are either interested in him or you aren’t and if you are, you are going to make him the top paid RB in the league.
They offered Bell a contract with $10M in guaranteed money. They might not miss a beat without Bell, but similarly, Bell can probably turn around and get at least double that if not more guaranteed elsewhere. The second he takes the field he's subject to ground and pound (which isn't comparable to Kirk Cousins except for the injury risk), which will diminish his value due to the shorter shelf life of RBs.
He's playing this one perfectly IMO. He's taking some risk playing a few games to get vested this year, unless the Steelers pull the tag and make him a FA outright. Either way, he'll end up with more in his pocket guaranteed instead of promises that are only based on his continued health and production.
And he'll get to rest his body. The guaranteed money offered to him was almost insulting.
I'd say he's probably getting the right advice.
Bell has done more than enough to get a contract like Gurley. And he’s smart to avoid taking on any additional risk by getting hit until he’s got that contract secured.
Meanwhile, I think the Steelers shouldn’t pay Bell because running backs are like McDonald’s - they are everywhere. Sure enough, Connor stepped in and was extremely productive. And the Steelers are likely concerned about Bell’s off the field behavior. One more issue like he’s had means a huge suspension.
This is the ultimate stand off.
There are some that expect the players to be in it purely for the joy of football, but for the owners it's a business.
I keep seeing this sentiment and I completely disagree. Bell is a far superior player to Conner. They 100% lose a beat without Bell. Conner isn’t anywhere close to the receiver he is and in the 2nd half of that game Conner really slowed down.
As a fan it sucks not being able to watch Bell. But I agree from a business point what he’s doing.
It was the TOs that cost them. Not the RB.
It was the TOs that cost them. Not the RB.
You can take look to a number of things. I happen to think they are a more efficient offense with him than without him. I’d go so far as to say it’s a fact but don’t want to ruffle any feathers. In my personal opinion they don’t have 5 TOs against a shitty Cleveland team if Bell is playing.
Ben killed them in the red zone a couple of times. That cost them points.
The RB was excellent in this game. He isn't some lumbering backup. He can play and start for a playoff team which is what I think we'll see from him this year.
If he sits out the full 10 games he will have cost himself nearly 9 million in guaranteed money this year. Of course if he gets seriously hurt he will cost himself money but if he stays healthy and plays he won't cost himself money in his next deal. I don't see how he makes more money, especially 9 million more in guaranteed money, by sitting out 10 games.
Bell knows he will get it, that’s why he’s doing it. Like I said earlier if the rules allowed him to sit out the season and forfeit all $14 million or whatever it is he would do it.
Think back to Jamal Anderson with the Falcons in 98. He carried 410 times for 1800+ yards and carried the Falcons to a 14-2 record and the Super Bowl...and he was essentially shot after that, missed more than half of his games the next 3 years and was out of the league.
There’s always a knee jerk reaction by many fans that the player is all about the money and doesn’t care about the team. But it’s reasonable to think about a player looking to protect his earnings potential and long term health too
I forgot what the stat is, but it's something like any player with 350 carries in a year or 40 in a game is literally done after that.
Connor has proven he's able to shoulder some of the touches burden anyway.
No reason not to do a Freeman/Coleman type split this season. He'll bell is never healthy come playoff time anyway.