Le’Veon Bell - Pro Football Rumors

Le’Veon Bell, Steelers Far Apart

March 5th, 2018 at 4:25pm CST by Zachary Links

So much for the positive updates on talks between Le’Veon Bell and the Steelers. On the eve of the league’s franchise tagging deadline, the running back says that the two sides are far apart in talks (via ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler). Furthermore, Bell added that he was not bluffing in January when he said that he is contemplating retirement if he does not get the kind of deal he is after.

“We’re not coming to a number we both agree on — they are too low, or I guess they feel I’m too high,” Bell said. “I’m playing for strictly my value to the team, that’s what I’m asking. I don’t think I should settle for anything less than what I’m valued at.”

Instead of looking at his value in terms of what he brings to the Steelers, Bell gets the sense that the team is putting a greater focus on the running back market as a whole. Currently, Falcons tailback Devonta Freeman stands as the game’s highest-paid running back at $8.25MM per year. Bell has previously stated that he wants a deal that reflects his value not just as a runner, but as a lethal pass catcher. He remains more optimistic about talks than he was last year, but he doesn’t see anything coming together between now and Tuesday afternoon.

“We might get something done,” Bell said. “I’m hoping for something to get done but I’m not expecting it to [before Tuesday].”

As it stands, the Steelers are expected to tag Bell for a second consecutive season, this time at the inflated cost of $14.544MM. The mechanism, in theory, would keep Bell in place for the 2018 season, but his retirement threat could throw a wrench into plans, depending on how seriously it is received by the Steelers.

Steelers Expected To Tag Le’Veon Bell

March 5th, 2018 at 8:45am CST by Zachary Links

Despite some early optimism at getting a multi-year deal done, the Steelers are expected to franchise tag running back Le’Veon Bell before the Tuesday deadline, barring a dramatic turn in talks (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). Both sides will continue working on a deal, but it sounds like Bell will first be held in place with a one-year, $14.544MM tender.

If they go through with the tag, this will mark the second straight year in which the Steelers have franchised Bell. Last year, Bell did not take kindly to Pittsburgh’s long-term offers and took his time before signing the one-year placeholder. The running back wound up skipping training camp and the preseason before finally inking the tender in early September. It’s conceivable that Bell could take a similar approach this year if talks stall once again.

For what it’s worth, Steelers GM Kevin Colbert is optimistic about the team’s odds of re-signing Bell.

“I believe I am [confident]. … I think with both sides wanting to get something done,” the longtime Steelers GM said. “… I think that certainly aids your ability to get that done.”

Last year, Bell rejected a five-year offer that would have paid him a guaranteed $30MM over the course of the first two years and $60MM overall. No one knows exactly what Bell is asking for this time around, but he has indicated that he would accept a deal with $50MM guaranteed.

No Major Progress Towards Le’Veon Bell Deal

March 4th, 2018 at 9:20am CST by Rory Parks

Despite reports that Le’Veon Bell and the Steelers are more likely to reach a long-term deal this year than they were last year, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports that the two sides have yet to make major progress towards a multi-year contract.

The deadline for teams to apply the franchise tag to prospective free agents is Tuesday, March 6, and at this point, it looks as if Bell will be tagged for the second consecutive year (although GM Kevin Colbert continues to talk to Bell’s representatives, and he reportedly hopes an agreement will be reached by Tuesday’s deadline). Of course, if Bell is hit with the tag, he and the Steelers would still have until mid-July to negotiate a new deal.

In something of a humorous side note, Bell is getting a little help in these negotiations from teammate Maurkice Pouncey. As Fowler notes, Pouncey has taken to Instagram to support Bell, suggesting that if the star RB does not have a new deal by the time the 2018 league year opens, Pouncey will personally speak with Colbert, head coach Mike Tomlin, and team president Art Rooney II to try and facilitate matters.

This year’s franchise tender for running backs would pay Bell around $14.5MM for the 2018 campaign, which gives him a platform on which to negotiate a long-term contract. Last summer, Bell rejected a five-year offer that would have paid him a guaranteed $30MM over the course of the first two years (and $60MM overall), but after putting together another excellent season in 2017, he could exceed both of those figures if he and Pittsburgh can finally work something out in the coming months.

Colbert Optimistic Steelers Will Re-Sign Bell

February 17th, 2018 at 3:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

Le’Veon Bell‘s offseason comments appear to indicate a long-term Steelers deal is likelier than it was in 2017, and Kevin Colbert sounds more optimistic as well.

“I believe I am [confident]. … I think with both sides wanting to get something done,” the longtime Steelers GM said, via Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “… I think that certainly aids your ability to get that done.”

Bell has vehemently spoken out against being franchise-tagged again, even threatening to retire if the Steelers tagged him again. But even in that scenario, the running back will have made nearly $27MM between 2017-18. The Steelers restructured Stephon Tuitt and David DeCastro‘s contracts to create cap room, and Colbert indicated similar restructures could be on the docket.

The tag remains an option for the Steelers, who set Tuesday as an unofficial deadline for a Bell deal. A Bell tag is expected to cost $14.5MM if applied.

“Everybody knows it’s an option,” Colbert said of the tag route. “We’ll never say we wouldn’t use it. Our goal is to be able to sign him to a long-term deal.”

Bell amassed a historic workload last season, accumulating 431 touches across 16 games (counting the team’s divisional-round contest), but Colbert doesn’t see him wearing down anytime soon. He confirmed the Steelers met with Bell following the season to express desire to extend this relationship long-term.

“We met with Le’Veon before he left [after last season] and said, ‘Look, we have a strong desire to keep you with the Pittsburgh Steelers the remainder of your career,'” Colbert said, via Bouchette. “We do know that Le’Veon has been a great player for us. We think he can still be a great player from this point forward, and we’d love to have him be a Steeler for the rest of his career.”

Extra Points: Bell, Seahawks, Buccaneers

February 17th, 2018 at 12:43pm CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted notes from around the NFL…

The Buccaneers are interviewing former Arizona Cardinals defensive line coach Brentson Buckner for the same position on their staff, reports Scott Reynolds of PewterReports.com (and since confirmed by other sources). Buckner and general manager Jason Licht have a relationship from their time in Arizona, perhaps giving him an advantage during the process. The Bucs are also interviewing assistant defensive line coach Paul Spicer and former Colts defensive coordinator Ted Monachino.
With three days remaining until Le’Veon Bell‘s artificial deadline to sign a new deal with the Steelers, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com wonders whether the two sides will come to an agreement. The reporter notes that there’s been no progress between the two sides in recent weeks, and he adds that it makes plenty of sense for Bell to wait for a deal. Ultimately, if the Steelers are claiming their offer will continue to drop as time goes on, Florio believes the running back should call their bluff and explore his value on the open market.
Following the massive deals signed by Jimmy Garoppolo and Alex Smith, ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson believes Russell Wilson could be in line for a contract that pays him $30MM per season. When the Seahawks quarterback signed an extension three years ago, he was second in average annual salary (behind Aaron Rodgers). However, following the latest deals and projected contracts for Kirk Cousins and Drew Brees, Wilson could now fall all the way to 10th. Ultimately, the writer believes the organization could pursue a new deal with Wilson before next offseason.

Le’Veon Bell Discusses Contract Situation

February 3rd, 2018 at 8:59am CST by Ben Levine

Le’Veon Bell sounds confident that he will remain in Pittsburgh. The impending free agent sat down with NFL Network’s Super Bowl LIVE yesterday and discussed his contract situation. Notably, Bell told the hosts that he believes his contract is a priority for the organization, and he noted that the two sides are closer to a deal than last year.

“Yeah, a lot of it is about the guarantees,” he said (via Kevin Patra NFL.com). “That’s what a long-term deal really is, you know? You want that security. That’s why I said I’ll play on the tag. All that’s going to be guaranteed. You want to tag me again, OK, all that’s going to be guaranteed. That’s how I kind of look at it because I don’t want sign a long-term deal and everybody says I signed for $70 million but only the first year is guaranteed. So the first $17 million that you make in that year that’s the only year that’s guaranteed…”

Specifically, Bell said he’d “absolutely” accept a contract that included $50MM in guaranteed money, but he didn’t commit when asked about $30MM. As Patra points out, Bell previously turned down an offer that would have guaranteed him $30MM through the first two seasons of the contract.

The Steelers could slap Bell with another franchise tag, which would pay him $14.5MM next season. Bell sat out training camp and preseason this past season after being tagged, but he noted that he’s not planning on another holdout.

The 25-year-old had another productive season in 2017. He ultimately compiled 1,291 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on a career-high 321 carries. He also added another 85 receptions for 655 yards and two scores.

Le’Veon Bell Not Interested In Jets?

February 1st, 2018 at 3:23pm CST by Zachary Links

Le’Veon Bell, technically, is scheduled for free agency. Should he reach the open market without any restrictions, it doesn’t sound like he’ll be joining the Jets. When asked by a fan on Twitter if he would sign with the Jets for $60MM “cash,” the running back replied, “That ain’t enough to come run with the Jets.”

Of course, it’s considered unlikely that Bell will be an unrestricted free agent in March. The Steelers have the ability to franchise tag him for a second consecutive season and they are expected to do so if they cannot sign him to a long-term deal. Even if he is allowed to test the open waters, the Jets have bigger fish to fry than finding a running back (though we did list RB as one of the team’s top three needs this offseason).

If the Jets make a major expenditure in free agency, they are much more likely to push those funds in the direction of Kirk Cousins. Signing both may be possible in the literal sense, but it wouldn’t show great cap management on the part of GM Mike Maccagnan to dedicate upwards of $44M to two players.

For what it’s worth, the Steelers and Bell are closer in long-term contract negotiations than they were last year, according to the running back.

AFC North Notes: Browns, Steelers, Bell

January 26th, 2018 at 1:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Armed with the No. 1 overall pick and a ludicrous amount of cap room, could the Browns sign/trade for a big-name veteran quarterback and draft a top prospect? Head coach Hue Jackson won’t rule it out.

“I think all of those things are on the table,” Jackson said (via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal). “I think you discuss all of those things and you work through all of those things as you go through this.”

It seems likely Browns will take a quarterback with the top pick in the draft, but it’s hard to imagine them also signing someone like Kirk Cousins and creating an expensive logjam under center. What the Browns realistically could do, however, is acquire a bridge quarterback who could start in 2018, giving their No. 1 pick a year to sit on the bench and learn.

While you consider all of the possibilities in Cleveland, here’s more from the AFC North:

Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell confirmed that the Steelers have set an artificial deadline of Feb. 20 – the first day of franchise tagging – to get a long-term deal done (Twitter link via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com). Bell says that both sides seem determined to get something done between now and then. “That is definitely the goal,” he said. Of course, the real deadline for franchise tagged players to sign extensions doesn’t come until the summer, so Bell could give himself additional leverage by ignoring the Steelers’ artificial deadline if he does not get an offer to his liking.
There are some concerns about the character of Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, but Browns GM John Dorsey doesn’t seem fazed by that talk as others. “Every young man will make a mistake in his life, I bet you,” he said (via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com). “And I think he’s very remorseful of that mistake and I think he’s moved forward from that, and he’s trying to make himself a better person, going through the process.” Mayfield made some questionable decisions this past season, including taunting Kansas fans with a crotch grab and a flag on the field after beating Ohio State, right in the middle of the Buckeyes’ “Block O” logo at midfield. Dorsey isn’t ruling out Mayfield, but one scout and one high-level exec told Cabot that they see a lot of Johnny Manziel in him.
We recently learned that the Ravens discussed a Jarvis Landry trade with the Dolphins last year. With Landry on course for free agency, one has to wonder if Baltimore will make a play for him.

AFC Notes: Steelers, Bell, Jaguars, Robinson

January 24th, 2018 at 3:59pm CST by Zachary Links

Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell has leverage and he should use it, Mike Florio of PFT opines. Florio gets the sense that the Steelers are imposing an artificial deadline of the start of the league year or the franchise tag deadline to finalize a multi-year deal. Instead, Bell could stand firm and refuse to sign a long-term deal that is shy of his goal and once again exercise his right to stay home throughout the offseason.

Bell has indicated that he does not want a second consecutive franchise tag, but the one-year deal for $14.52MM wouldn’t be a bad place to end up. In theory, the Steelers could use the tag on him for a third straight year in 2019, but the $17.42MM price tag means that they would probably allow him to test the open market unfettered.

Here’s more from the AFC:

The Jaguars have a tough decision to make when it comes to pending free agent Allen Robinson. He stands as the Jaguars’ most talented receiver, but he missed the majority of the year with a torn ACL suffered in Week 1. What are the Jags to do? Ryan O’Halloran of the Times-Union predicts that the team will either use the franchise tag on him or sign him to a multi-year deal with easy-to-attain incentives if he stays healthy in 2018. Robinson may not be a bonafide WR1 in the eyes of other teams, but he stands as one of the very best WRs in a weak free agent class at the position, so allowing him to test the open market would be dicey for Jacksonville.
Will the Bills stick with quarterback Tyrod Taylor? Sean McDermott isn’t really tipping his hand. “I thought the quarterback position, in particular Tyrod and then Nate [Peterman] did some good things. I’ve mentioned before, the work ethic and the intangibles that Tyrod brings to the table are very much appreciated and a big part of how we did things this year and what we were able to do. I thought he did some good things and overall, we’ll continue to evaluate where we are what’s right for this organization moving forward,” McDermott told reporters Tuesday at the Senior Bowl (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com)
New head coach Mike Vrabel cleared up some confusion by explaining that the Titans‘ next defensive coordinator will in fact be calling plays. “The DC will make the play calls – he will call the game,” Vrabel said (Twitter link via Paul Kuharsky of PaulKuharsky.com). “And if I tell him to run something, he is going to run it. … The defensive coordinator is going to call 100 percent of the game, except for when I tell him the one time I want to pressure the quarterback.”

Steelers, Le’Veon Bell Closer Than Last Year

January 24th, 2018 at 12:06pm CST by Zachary Links

Things might not be as bad between Le’Veon Bell and the Steelers as initially believed. The running back told reporters on Wednesday that the team has already presented him with an extension offer and the two sides are a lot closer than they were last year (Twitter link via Mark Kaboly of The Athletic).

Bell also disputed a recent report indicating that he was late to the Steelers’ walkthrough before their playoff game against the Jaguars. Bell says that the tardiness was due to personal reasons and coach Mike Tomlin was aware (Twitter link via Kaboly).

Earlier this month, Bell made waves by saying that he would consider sitting out the 2018 season if he’s franchise tagged for a second consecutive season. No one really knows whether Bell would quit if handed a one-year, $14.5MM tender, but it sounds like we might not have to find out. Last year, Bell turned down a $60MM offer from Pittsburgh. This time around, he could get more than that over a five-year period, or perhaps greater cash flow in the first few years.

Bell finished out the season with 1,291 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. He also had 85 catches for 655 yards and two TDs, earning him a First-Team All-Pro nod.