[ad_1]
The Veon Bell's focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers took a bad turn on Wednesday when several of his teammates blatantly blamed him for failing to appear the days before week 1.
Bell withstood the pre-season and training camp, refusing to show up for the $ 14.5 million franchise after he and the Steelers in July failed to show up. hear on a new contract. Bell is looking for an agreement that pays him as the best running back and does not want to play on what he considers to be inferior to the market for his skills.
By falling behind in the regular season, Bell would be giving up $ 852,000 for each week he misses. It has until 4 pm ET Saturday to report to the Steelers to avoid losing a week's salary.
Bell's agent, Adisa Bakari, said that Bell planned to protect its long-term future by avoiding touching and traveling miles before the next free season of the free agency. They are worried that the Steelers will throw him into the ground this year, and then drop him next season.
Although holdouts are common in the NFL, it's hard to find a similar one to Bell's. As ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wrote, there is no precedent in the modern NFL. In the past, some players missed a match or two before signing the franchise tag.
And while Bell sacrifices money and goodwill with his teammates, Adam Schefter of ESPN explained Thursday on Golic and Wingo that there was a chance for Bell to get out of the situation.
First, by missing the games, Bell preserves his body and keeps his lower keys before embarking on the free agency.
Secondly, Bell has some control over the situation. The Steelers probably will not trade him, because Bell will have to sign his bid to be traded first, and second, the teams will have to give up a draft pick for a player who will be able to touch the free agency. next year.
The Steelers are unlikely to cancel the tag for Bell, because if he goes into free agency next year, the Steelers will be compensated by a draft pick. The cancellation of the label would make Bell an unrestricted free agent.
But perhaps most interestingly, Schefter thinks that Bell can find the type of offer he is looking for next season despite his 26 years and his many loads during his career. Schefter said Bell could be online for a bid similar to the $ 60 million four-year contract that the Los Angeles Rams have offered Todd Gurley this season.
"You say goodbye to hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars here," Schefter said. "Now, by saying that, you're looking at what Todd Gurley just did: sign a $ 60-million, four-year, $ 45-million extension." If "The Vein Bell" says goodbye to that. is important when you sign a $ 70 million contract? "
Bell and his camp are probably suspicious of what happened to DeMarco Murray. The running back has accumulated more than 1,800 rushing yards and 400 receiving yards in over 400 total hits with the Dallas Cowboys in 2014. The Cowboys have helped him win the off-season. would usually produce, and his body has never been the same after. He retired at age 30.
While Schefter predicted that Bell would report in the first month of the season, Bell could fall behind at Week 12, when he will have to run for a free agent next season. As Mike Golic argued on Thursday, if Bell is ready to miss a month of the season, it might be logical to continue his wait until week 12 to further preserve his body and touches.
The risk for Bell is that his replacement, James Conner, competently fill the semifinal gap this season, reducing Bell's image in the league. However, any team looking for an elite who would come back next season could be comfortable enough with Bell's resume to give him a big contract anyway.
Bell is watching this season and taking control of his future. While the league tends to see the impact of the race around 29 and 30, Bell could change this aging curve by protecting his body for a year. Despite the negatives that can be related to a holdout – salary at the mooring, missed matches and scrutiny – there is a way forward.
Source link
