Pittsburgh Steelers must keep Le’Veon Bell, but can they?

The Pittsburgh Steelers must keep star running back Le’Veon Bell in order to make a final Super Bowl run with Ben Roethlisberger. But considering their cap constraints, can they?

No matter how poor or successful a team’s season was, there are always major offseason questions on the front burner. The NFL turns over too much for even the best teams to advance a calendar year unscathed. Let’s continue the team-by-team overview with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

For a team that was wildly successful overall in 2017, it felt like an up-and-down season for Pittsburgh. The offseason should be no mystery. Other than small moving parts and the draft, the entire offseason hinges on one decision: that of the future of Le’Veon Bell.

Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate the Pittsburgh Steelers in today’s NFL Sports Debate.

Todd Salem:

Bell is arguably the best running back in football. He wants to be paid like that and more, since he also considers himself the number-two wide receiver on the Steelers. He also made a public stand at the end of last year, declaring that he might decide to retire if the team places the franchise tag on him again. Pittsburgh could go ahead and franchise him anyway, as a mere formality. From there, it would be about negotiating a long-term contract, leaving the tag in place, or rescinding the tag and allowing Bell to leave.

Pittsburgh GM Kevin Colbert has said that he would prefer to come to a long-term agreement with Bell because of course he said that. Despite Bell’s threats, he also knows he has the franchise tag in his back pocket. Which is the more likely outcome, that Colbert is scared off tagging the back or rescinds the tag after the fact, or that Bell actually retires at age 25 because he was given a one-year deal worth $14.5 million?

Bell feels he is worth a long-term deal, and he is right. But he is also a running back in a league where both Super Bowl teams just used a committee approach to the position and succeeded. No running back makes more than $8 million and change per season. It is likely both sides agree he is the best RB in the sport, but the chasm between that shared opinion has to be quite vast.

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From the team’s point of view, Bell is the best RB in the NFL, so he should earn, say, $9 million per year with guarantees surpassing those of Devonta Freeman and Shady McCoy. From Bell’s side, he is the best at his position, but he is also an elite receiver and focal point of one of the best offenses in the league. He deserves top receiver money because of that, despite primarily lining up as a runner. While the top RBs are held under $9 million, the best receivers bring in close to double that, with the guaranteed money nearly doubled as well.

To make negotiations even trickier, the Steelers have no cap room to work within. Obviously that will change as the offseason progresses, but they aren’t one of these franchises swimming in negotiating room. This could help each side, as Bell’s ’18 cap hit will surely be lower if a long-term contract is agreed upon as opposed to being franchised. And yet, with no space, there is also the unlikely possibility that Bell becomes a free agent, at which point numerous teams will burst his door down.

I think this ends poorly for team chemistry. The Steelers can still sign him long-term after the decision to franchise him, but egos may be destroyed by then through rough negotiations. It just appears as though the two sides are too far apart on Bell’s value to the sport in ’18. No one will argue that he isn’t great, but he also isn’t a quarterback or pass rusher. The glass ceiling strikes down even the best backs, especially one who has missed significant time in three of his five professional seasons.

Dan Salem:

I tend to side with Bell in this situation and he does not seem like a man apt to making idle threats. This is bad news for the Steelers, who may lose their two best players in consecutive seasons. Ben Roethlisberger is not long for the league, so how badly does Pittsburgh want to make one final Super Bowl run with their star quarterback? Screwing up things with Bell will ruin such an opportunity.

The majority of NFL teams employ running back by committee for two reasons. Doing so keeps their players fresher and healthier, considering the extensive hits taken by running backs. But truthfully, most teams employ this approach out of necessity. They do not have a single runner who excels at both speed and power running, while also being a threat in the passing game and a solid blocker. Let’s call this is a quadruple threat. Very few players check all four boxes. Bell checks them all and he happens to be the best.

I don’t think its unreasonable for Bell to expect wide receiver money, as he is involved in many more offensive plays than the average receiver. He has a bigger impact on the game overall and a play by play basis. Bell has threatened retirement if he does not get a longterm deal. The Steelers are smart enough to not let him hit free agency, as any team that signs him becomes an instant threat. Applying the franchise tag and then trading him is an option. Paying him his money is a better option.

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I would offer Bell a five-year deal with the first three years guaranteed. His deal must be laden with bonuses for staying healthy and on the field, as well as for hitting benchmarks statistically. All of this ensures Bell continues to perform at the same high level we’ve come to know. If Pittsburgh screws up this deal, it will completely tarnish the likelihood of Roethlisberger continuing to play for more than a season. Why would he want to lead an offense minus its best, or second best, playmaker? Making one final run at a championship means Bell is in their backfield.