09-06-2018, 10:07 PM
(09-06-2018, 07:22 PM)Whatever Wrote: Well, for one, AJ is actually under contract. If he sits, he can be fined by the team. For another, he's already banked over $67 million for his career. He's even said himself when asked about his next contract "I'm set for life, so I'm not really worried about it right now." Green has made $67 million over 7 seasons, which averages out to about $9.5 million per season. Bell has made just over $16 million over 5 years for an average of $3.2 million a year, the vast majority of that coming off of last year's franchise tag tender. Bell would certainly have more justification to hold out for more money than Green. Again, Green is under contract. Bell is not. Green signed a deal that was negotiated in good faith that he was happy with when he signed. Bell essentially has a take it or leave it offer on the table from the Steelers that he has chosen not to sign because he is not happy with it.
Lol. Do you realize that for every game Bell sits out he loses $900,000? That's a pretty hefty non-fine. And whether AJ is under contract or not, and if he's happy with what he makes isn't the point at all. The point is that you think he would be justified sitting out as many games as possible, regardless of the impact on the team, in order to preserve his health in regards to optimizing the value of his next contract.
Make no mistake, both sides are playing the system to their respective advantages. It was very clear early in Bell's career that he was drastically underpaid on his rookie contract. The Steelers chose not to address that after his third year, which was their best chance at get a team friendly deal done. The following year, they gave Antonio Brown his second extension and couldn't agree to terms with Bell. Issue there is Bell puts up more yards and TD's than Brown, but Brown has gotten two extensions because of the position he plays. They tagged him again this year even though they knew there was no chance of a long term deal to try and milk one more playoff run out of the 3 B's. Bell is working the system to his benefit by waiting to sign so he doesn't get as much wear and tear and can possibly force the tender to be rescinded.
Would you offer a long term, big money contract to a guy who's had an injury history and two substance abuse suspensions? People have forgotten that he was and still is one failed drug test away from a one year suspension. Would YOU gamble $15M/yr and a guaranteed $40M to a guy like that? I'd like to see your thoughts had they signed him two years ago to $15M/yr and he subsequently went out and got high and suspended for a whole year. My guess is that you would be thinking that they botched the situation as well.
The thing people don't seem to get is Bell is no more a Pittsburgh Steeler right now than any other unsigned NFL player. He's not under contract, and he doesn't want to play there. By this "always give 100%" logic, they would be livid at players skipping OTA's and training camp during a holdout. They would be mad about guys getting "veterans' rest" at practice. The only guys who could potentially be mad at Bell about money are guys who have playoff performance incentives in their contracts, and that's not Ramon Foster. If anything, Bell not signing until late in the season frees up more money for other guys on the roster unless the Steelers just pocket it.
Wrong. They own his rights. If he was no more a Pittsburgh Steeler than any other unsigned NFL player, he wouldn't be an unsigned NFL player, would he?
