1. Hi Guest, Registrations are now open. See you on the inside.
    Dismiss Notice

Le’Veon Bell Explains Contract Dispute, Why He Left Steelers For Jets

Discussion in 'Steelers Talk' started by Steelersfan43, May 26, 2023.

  1. Steelersfan43

    Steelersfan43 Well-Known Member

    6,388
    2,256
    Aug 10, 2016
    Last edited: May 26, 2023
    • Hilarious Hilarious x 1
  2. steel machine

    steel machine Well-Known Member

    13,713
    5,106
    Sep 21, 2017
    Others may enjoy but I refuse to read anything about the following people: Idiot Bell, idiot Brown.

    I did like Kevin in a Pirate hat:)
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1
    • Disagree Disagree x 1
    • Hilarious Hilarious x 1
  3. mikeyg

    mikeyg Well-Known Member

    4,666
    1,042
    Dec 23, 2020
    yawn

    he screwed himself and us. GOOD RIDDANCE Bell, you IDIOT.
     
    • Winner Winner x 2
  4. AskQuestionsLater

    AskQuestionsLater Writing Team

    22,851
    5,694
    Apr 21, 2016

    You mean the "Sitter 'n' Quitter" right?!
     
    • Winner Winner x 4
    • Agree Agree x 1
  5. HeinzMustard

    HeinzMustard Well-Known Member

    11,296
    2,811
    Nov 18, 2015
    Two former Steelers I couldn't care less about: Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown
     
    • Winner Winner x 4
    • Agree Agree x 3
    • Hilarious Hilarious x 1
  6. oldschool

    oldschool Well-Known Member

    2,474
    564
    Oct 19, 2011
    I like hearing these guys admit they were dumb. He can tap dance around it a bit all he wants, but I’m reading that pretty clearly in the contextual semantics of these statements.

    He had a team, a great team, a fantastic franchise, that thought of him as “their guy” and believed in his place on the team to value him, and his position in it to be the highest paid RB in the league - by a LOT - over many millions, and he was too arrogant and dimwitted to sign up despite advice from a trusted family member and his agent (probably others too). So he smoked out for a year, went elsewhere and fizzled.

    Yeah, I said it - dumb. I like hearing it.

    I can and will never be able to prove it, but I feel it in my bones, that he an AB were in pretty close contact about the dumb maneuvers they both made. Both soiled their NFL legacies. And I’m pissed that AB still got a ring out of it despite trainwrecking around it.
     
    Last edited: May 26, 2023
    • Winner Winner x 3
    • Agree Agree x 2
    • Disagree Disagree x 1
  7. jeh1856

    jeh1856 Just chilling

    28,957
    10,709
    Oct 26, 2011
    Only thing I learned from this is Bell is still an idiot
     
    • Hilarious x 3
    • Like x 1
    • Agree x 1
    • Disagree x 1
    • Winner x 1
  8. jeh1856

    jeh1856 Just chilling

    28,957
    10,709
    Oct 26, 2011
    Bell is an idiot
     
    • Agree Agree x 3
    • Like Like x 1
    • Disagree Disagree x 1
  9. Wardismvp

    Wardismvp Well-Known Member

    14,970
    2,354
    Oct 26, 2011
    Huge idiot.
     
    • Agree Agree x 2
    • Disagree Disagree x 1
  10. steel machine

    steel machine Well-Known Member

    13,713
    5,106
    Sep 21, 2017
    No way to know but IMO if Bell and Brown had same talent and different mental make-up, Steelers would be going for #8 or #9 this season.
     
    • Like Like x 2
    • Agree Agree x 1
  11. forgotten1

    forgotten1 Well-Known Member

    6,740
    1,905
    Mar 4, 2022
    TACO WHO?
     
    • Hilarious Hilarious x 1
  12. oldschool

    oldschool Well-Known Member

    2,474
    564
    Oct 19, 2011
    My god… I suffered the whole thing n its entirety on my commute home.

    That dude is one gargantuan (I do rarely have the opportunity to use that in a sentence) IDIOT!

    My brain shrunk trying to listen to him articulate a coherent thought. He can’t do it without saying “Bruh” and “Like” about five times a statement. Imagine me saying that about another person - because I grew up surfing as a teenager in the 80’s and 90’s in Floriduh! And he made me want to bounce my head off the steering wheel.

    Never mind his wild contradictions and delusions.

    The two fools interviewing him and either lying to him as their guest or morons them selves should be ashamed - at a minimum - for how they claimed to “agree” with him.
     
    • Disagree Disagree x 1
    • Winner Winner x 1
  13. Lizard72

    Lizard72

    21,045
    1,757
    Oct 23, 2011
    What? They agreed with him? They must have been just placating to keep him talking trying for juicier stuff.
     
    • Like Like x 2
    • Disagree Disagree x 1
  14. steelersrule6

    steelersrule6 Well-Known Member

    29,953
    7,387
    Nov 14, 2011
    Bell is an idiot, he was headed for hall of fame career with the Steelers, imagine going to the Jets who had no talent on offense :facepalm:.
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Disagree Disagree x 1
  15. mac daddyo

    mac daddyo Well-Known Member

    28,747
    5,743
    Oct 22, 2011
    allow me. WHO?:smiley1::cool:
     
    • Hilarious Hilarious x 1
  16. S.T.D

    S.T.D Well-Known Member

    34,336
    9,007
    Dec 23, 2020
    Bruh....what wrong with Florida???
     
  17. oldschool

    oldschool Well-Known Member

    2,474
    564
    Oct 19, 2011
    I grew up there. I think I’ve heard you say that you live there.

    Don’t pretend to not know about Florida stuff.
     
    • Hilarious Hilarious x 2
  18. SteelReal

    SteelReal Well-Known Member

    1,708
    303
    Oct 1, 2020
    So I'll defend Bell on this as I have in the past. There should have been no excuse for the Steelers not being able to sign Bell and there would have been no need to try and reset the market attempting to do so. Where it all went wrong was the fully guaranteed money imo. I think the Steelers had offered Bell 70 mil over 3 years (or was it 5? Or maybe it was 52 total over the first 3 years and 18 over the last 2 something like that), but only 11 mil of it was fully guaranteed. Any other guaranteed part of the contract only kicked in if he was on the roster at the beginning of the season if I'm not mistaken which made it a rolling guaranteed amount, not fully guaranteed.

    I'm telling y'all it was not the 70 mil that was the issue it was the 11 mil fully guaranteed, which imo was a slap in the face, considering how important he was to this offense based upon how much offense ran thru him, what he had accomplished up to that point, and with being top 3 rb in the league....really top 2.

    Hear me out. The year that Bell became a free agent is the same year (that I can recall) you started seeing these huge fully guaranteed contracts being handed out to QBs. Kirk Cousins, being one of the first had just received a 3 yr 84 mil fully guaranteed contract that same year, or roundabouts. Kirk Cousins was good but he wasn't anywhere near the equivalent of what Bell was as a RB.

    Not only that, but you had the injury to Shazier which had to have created some concern also about putting his health on the line for a team who was trying to pay the minimum in fully guaranteed salary...especially with the number of touches he had. If we're talking about someone making a business decision where YOU KNOW they are gonna run you into the ground...why would you accept so little guaranteed money knowing you're rolling the dice with making it through even one season??

    Imo they didn't have to offer him 70 mil. I believe they could have offered him somewhere around 55-60 mil (or something similar) and fully guaranteed 33 mil of it, and made the contract full of incentives to get to the 70 over the 5 yr. The Steelers could restructure the contract to spread out the fully guaranteed as they pleased/needed. What would Bell care since its fully guaranteed?? They could have even put a clause in the contract to terminate the contract should he have any off the field issues (which we know now he never did...and probably the NFLPA would had an issue with anyway, but just saying) if they had any concerns about it.

    I just feel it was the fully guaranteed money, w/o listening to the interview, or going back and reading up on it again that caused talks to be broke off and it was the only thing. If i got details or facts wrong let me know because I'm just going off different points I debated back then. Imo signing a contract like that is the act of a desperate player or one w/o options. At the end of the day the contract didn't do the Steelers or Bell any favors...because it wasn't signed by Bell and Bell ended up playing for a lesser team.
     
    Last edited: May 27, 2023
  19. Lizard72

    Lizard72

    21,045
    1,757
    Oct 23, 2011
    Straight old news man. Fact is he sat out when the team could have used him and he told guys on the team that he'd be there. We saw Shazier get seriously injured and the team payed him out.

    The guaranteed money thing has been hashed over and over. Fact is he'd have actually made more money signing the Pittsburgh deal and not sitting out that year or even playing under the tag and then signing a contract. He took a Gamble and we see how it played out. He was never going to be as successful with another team, that wasn't geared around blocking for his style and players that were used to how he plays.
     
    • Winner Winner x 1
  20. SteelReal

    SteelReal Well-Known Member

    1,708
    303
    Oct 1, 2020
    Everything you just mentioned was a gamble including continuing to play under a second franchise tag where there was no guarantee of the team re-signing him afterwards. If he suffers a career ending knee injury during the second franchise tag, still unsigned, then where does that leave him at?? A hope and a prayer that the Rooneys would throw charity at him for the next two to three years? If his career ends during the second franchise year he would have made less than 21 mil I believe it was over a 5 yr span (14.5 the fifth yr). How is the 14.5, more, or anywhere equivalent to what he made over the rest of his career even if he didn't max out on what he could have made? Because the 14.5 is the only thing we 100% know for sure he would have received so that's the only amount you can focus on...not what he would have made in addition to the 14.5

    Furthermore, If you felt that strongly that the Rooneys would take care of him despite him being disabled why wouldnt they just offer more in fully guaranteed money up front?? Everything you said is hindsight or pure speculation, and furthermore it's predicated upon whether he thinks his body would have held up over the life of the contract. With as many touches as he was getting is that a chance you really wanna take?? What was wrong with him making sure he had just as much assurance as the team did? Its not like rbs are given the same protections on the field as QBs.

    And what's the deal with people not having a right to change their own mind?? So what if he told his teammates he would be playing. After further thought he thought different. Yeah everybody may have been thinking about the Shazier situation, but everybody else wasn't in a contract year like he was. You guys are one sided with your opinions and your thought processes lack objectivity. Fact is both the Steelers and Bell gambled and it didn't play out well for either side, not just Bell. How was it any better for the Steelers that he left??
     
    Last edited: May 27, 2023
  21. Lizard72

    Lizard72

    21,045
    1,757
    Oct 23, 2011
    Just like everything you said is pure hindsight, except we know exactly what did happen and by the numbers he ended up with less money in his pocket.

    You're just sat there and rehashed the whole situation with hindsight and speculation, when there are plenty of articles and discussions about what the actual deals were and were not. Fact is he didn't see all of that supposed guaranteed money from the Jets so the deal was less than the one he was offered by Pittsburgh.

    He was/is free to change his mind all he wants. He can tell his other teammates what he wants to as well. Then he has to deal with how that's perceived by others. From what we know, he didn't call any of them to let them know he wasn't playing that season and that had previously told them that he was. Those guys were out there talking him up and telling everyone that he'd be there, so they have a right to be pissed off about it. Now, if your lively hood and future paychecks also depend on how well the team does and you're all preparing for him to walk in that door, I'd guess you'd be pretty upset that he didn't. It's that simple. I don't care what he actually made or didn't make. He left those guys out to dry and "they" didn't like it.

    Here's one. We don't need to go back into this again. I'll watch him box and have no desire to see him play as a Steeler again that ship has sailed.
     
    • Winner Winner x 1
  22. SteelReal

    SteelReal Well-Known Member

    1,708
    303
    Oct 1, 2020
    1) Apparently you don't know the difference between a fully guaranteed contract and a rolling guaranteed contract, or else why would you even bring up the Jets contract?? His fully guaranteed amount with them was 25 million...so right off top your statement is wrong that he made less with the Jets. He may have signed for less, but he didn't make less.

    2) Speculating based upon an opinion is still far better than telling a flat out lie. To lie and say that there's plenty of articles and discussions about what the actual deals were in place when you can't link not one confirming what Leveon asked for is crazy ironic to me. The only kind of articles you're going to find are those that discuss the details of the 70 million....and that's because someone in Steelers upper mngmnt leaked it to spite Leveon.

    3) What difference do it make that his teammates were pissed? Their own personal performance on the field dictates their future paychecks and livelihood not whether another player chooses to show up, or not, that doesnt even play the same position as they do. How stupid of a statement is that?? You mean to tell me if the Steelers defense sucks, but Kenny Pickett has a pro bowl year its going to affect his future livelihood and paychecks??? At what point has that ever been true regarding any player in any sport? I'll wait...

    They're not writing their name on none of his paychecks and can't and don't have any say so whatsoever in the negotiation room so what right do they have to be pissed or upset??? he wasnt' even under contract thats how irrational and stupid some people are that comment on this particular topic. How you gonna get pissed about somebody not showing up that don't even have a contract with the team???

    4) the real irony about this conversation is that Steeler fans who claim they have moved past him and know the ship has sailed on him keep bringing him up every six months. Don't nobody bring him up except the mfs that hate on him.
     
    Last edited: May 29, 2023
  23. SteelersFanIrl

    SteelersFanIrl Well-Known Member

    3,775
    1,095
    Mar 3, 2019
    I’d agree with a lot of that, the Steelers could have kept him if they had offered more guarantees. He was arguably the best running back in the league at that stage.

    They clearly didn’t want to give him the market rate, which is fine, it’s a business after all, and they probably feared a sharp regression given the workload he had endured since he came in to the league (they were very likely right on that one). But when it was clear that he wasn’t happy with the deal and that he wasn’t going to sign the extension they should have rescinded the second franchise tag and let him walk away. Colbert said as much after the fact iirc

    Bell didn’t handle the situation very well but there is plenty of blame on both sides. It ended up in a very public and messy distraction, and left the team holding salary cap in the expectation that he would be back. They still had a good team at that stage and could have used that money elsewhere to improve the roster.
     
  24. CK 13

    CK 13 Well-Known Member

    11,406
    2,842
    Nov 5, 2011
    Well no worries the Rap Giant can fall back on his boxing career :lolol::roflmao:

    The clown prince of Rap held out because he wanted 17 mill in which he rapped about. Stupid is as stupid does

    The contract the Steelers offered to him was way to much for a running back. Glad it didn't happen. Went to the Jets and disappeared.
     
    • Winner Winner x 1
  25. groutbrook

    groutbrook

    7,966
    1,721
    Oct 23, 2016
    Who would be the coach in this scenario?
     
    • Hilarious Hilarious x 1

Share This Page

Welcome to the ultimate resource for Steelers fans. Sign Up Here!