The Steelers are considering using the transition tag on Bell

Someone is always coming along and resetting the market for a position. That usually happens every couple of years based on when a elite talent gets to FA. Look at Cousins. You think he's worth that money compared to other QBs? It's being in the right place at the right time. Why would Bell sign a contract for less money? He was looking to reset the market himself and used every thing in his right to try and do that. The year before he played on the franchise tag worth over 12 mil. This year he decided it wasn't worth the risk. That's his decision,right or wrong. The market has been set . Now we will see if his gamble paid off. I'm betting he doesn't do much better than what the Steelers "reportedly " offered. Either way it doesn't change that it was his decision and within his rights to use the rules that are in place.

 

Don't forget Burnett

 

https://www.post-gazette.com/sports...sition-tag-steelers-news/stories/201902070124

This article makes no sense to me. From the article...

"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. That way, they are guaranteed compensation for the former All-Pro running back, whether in the form of a player or a draft choice."

Ok no problem with it so far. So the idea is using the transition tag with intent on trading him for compensation. Also as far as am aware the Steelers would be "gauranteed" some type of compensatory pick for Bell if they did NOT use the transition tag. <<(they would lose that if they used the transition tag on him and did NOT match another team's offer.)

"But that would involve the Steelers getting cooperation from Bell and his agent, Adisa Bakari, to work out a deal — an unlikely possibility given what has transpired the past two seasons."

This line doesn't make sense as by definition if the Steelers place the transition tag on Bell, they would not need "cooperation" from him and his agent as it is giving the Steelers exclusive rights to match other teams offers. As far as I understand they wouldn't have any say in the matter.

"If the Steelers place the transition tag on Bell and he receives an offer sheet from another team, they have seven days to match that offer — something they don’t intend to do, according to sources. If the Steelers decline to match the offer, they would receive no compensation in return."

What is the point of transitioning tag Bell without having any intention of matching another team's offer? All they would have essentially done was forfeit any compensatory pick they would have received for Bell to begin with by just letting him go. Bell is going to obtain some offers. I do not get the logic here.

He goes on...

"Under the guidelines of the collective bargaining agreement, the Steelers are not permitted to trade Bell for at least one year to a team that submitted an offer sheet."

This statement completely negates the first line which states that the Steelers would tag him and "trade him to that interested team the same day".

He continues...

"Of course, any desire to sign Bell was lessened considerably, if not eliminated, when James Conner had five 100-yard rushing games, 13 total touchdowns and made the Pro Bowl in his first season as a starter."

The idea of the article was transition tagging him and trading him for compensatory picks not using the tag to keep him in the Burgh for another year.



Obviously if they utilized the transition tag on Bell, they'd have to match another teams offer to retain the rights to him and work out a trade. I have no idea what kind of cap hit that would ensue or if it'd even be worth it.

Probably the best case scenario is just not tagging him letting him go. Maybe someone understand this better and I'm missing something however.

 

http://www.espn.com/blog/pittsburgh...ential-fight-between-leveon-bell-and-steelers

Another article a little more detailed.

 

I never said anything about his right to refuse an offer or not play under the franchise tag for a 2nd year. I was simply referencing your comment that he wanted to be paid as one of the top 3 running backs in the league. If that were true, he would have been signed a couple of seasons ago for top 3 money. He wanted waaaay more than that.

 

Like I said he was looking to reset the market. The market has been reset and he may still end up being paid like the top 3 in the league but at a higher price.

 

I think you are mixing up the part of a team making him an offer and the Steelers having a trade partner. If the Patriots offer him 5 years 40 million upfront with x amount over that 5 years, the Steelers can't match the offer and then turn around and trade him to the Pats for two 1sts, and a player to be named later. However they could turn to the Jets and say here is what New England is going to do to get him but we can match that offer and trade him to you for a 1st, a 3rd and so in so player. NE set the market and the Jets could avoid the bidding war and get the player they want, the Steelers get rid of Bell and get more than a 3rd round comp pick that will be pick 33-3(?) of the 3rd round and maybe something more valuable. That is the only logic behind it

Oh and also it makes Bell and his agent have to come knocking at Art's door to ask if they want to match it.

 

So he wanted to be paid like a top 3 back AND reset the market? That doesn’t add up.

Anyway, it doesn’t really matter now... The situation is what it is. We’re all anxious for it to reach its conclusion. Finally.

 

According to these articles and others, if the Steelers utilize the transition tag they tentatively lock him in a 1 year tenure with a cost of the average of the top 10 players at the position or 120% of his previous salary (whichever is higher). So there is no "making him an offer" involved but an automatic designation. That tenure for Bell, however, would be short lived as other teams would be bidding for him. The Steelers have so many days to match the offer of the other teams to retain the player. I think it's seven days to match the offer.

So in your example, if the Steelers can't match the 5 year 40 mill offer of the Pats than they simply just lose Le'veon Bell to the Pats along with their compensatory pick they would have gotten if they would have never utilized the transition tag on him to begin with. Any strategy to utilize the transition tag for Bell would simply just come at more of a loss than if they just let him go in Free Agency.. << which is the point I'm trying to make.


So the only way to TRADE Bell would be to MATCH any offer of bidding teams. Once they win the bidding, according to the first source they'd have to trade him to a NON-BIDDING TEAM. << So the idea they could simply trade Bell to the Patriots in your example even after winning a bidding war would be incorrect.

Here is one more source on it.

https://www.thefootballeducator.com/nfl-cba-article-10-franchise-transition-players/

 

Also regarding the "whichever is greater" part for Bell, the 120% of his previous year's salary is expected to be grieved upon by Bell and his agent.

The Steelers will argue they should go off his 2017 12 mil base salary, and Bell will argue they should go off his 2018 14.5 mill base salary.

Of course Bell never did sign the tag did he? Really don't see how they could vote in his favor as he never accepted to receive that amount of money.

Either way it will be interesting.

 

In regards to the last part that was what I was getting at. If the Pats are the top offer the Steelers can't match the offer, hold on to him and turn around and trade him to the Pats in the same year. The only sense I'm making out of this is that somehow by using the transition tag they could work a trade out where they potentially get more than the 3rd round comp pick which we know will be at the end of the round. Otherwise there is no reason to even consider it other than out of spite.

 

The pats are not coughin up 15m for bell yet any rb, they are smater than that . Just hope the steelers let him walk and use that money wisely but who knows

 

Why do people think if we match a tag offer that we’re going to be able to turn around and trade Bell. The only team who would even consider a trade would be the team who made the tag offer and they would probably tell us to go to hell.

 

A while ago, I read where these conversations have already started.

 

I don't care of they transition tag Bell into a women, let him walk and work on our roster. He and AB have dropped so much value in trade due to our own incompetence. You just don't see the cheats having these issues, WTF

 

The Patriots had a murderer on their team

 

At that time ( I know it's ever changing ) He would have been number 1

 

I hate the Cheats more than everybody but...The Steelers could control ( and have with Bell ) not so much with AB until now ( having a feeling that's gonna change...

No team has any control if one of their players goes all Ted Bundy, like Ray Lewis...Oh wait , He was innocent...Had him confused with someone else

 

and they dropped his ass as soon as he was arrested. whats the point? Raven's dropped Rice as soon as the video came out. You can't predict what some of these guys are going to do, but when SHTF drop them.

 

The only rationale for tagging him would be to get more than a 3rd round comp pick. According to the first source posted, Bell wouldn't be able to be traded to the losing bidding team for an entire year.

So the only way this works is to trade him to a NON-bidding team, which makes no sense as those teams would have been in the bidding game to begin with if they had the cap space.


There is still "something" that is missing, because from I stand the Steelers have ZERO benefit of using the transition tag for Bell if their intention is to trade him away. In the current scenario, they'd only be losing the player, comp pick, and not to mention headache dealing with all of this..

Maybe there will be an article that makes better sense of the strategy.

 

Just let it go and move on.

 

Yeah...if he's willing to sit out a whole season then he really wants out...going by RB shelf life. Just move on.

 

I hope Ray Fittipaldo is right, because the transition tag is where this is headed IMO. On the bright side, if the Steelers use the trans tag, they can hopefully prohibit Bell from going to the Ravens.

 

Even if they sign and trade him they won’t get a lot for him. Definitely not a pick in the first 3 rounds.

 

Are you a Steelers fan? Because I see nothing from what you say that suggests so. Maybe following Bell and Brown on the way out will be the best move for you.