Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell is entering the final season of his rookie contract and Bell and his agent aren't not doing their negotiating through the media. They've apparently decided to do it through rap lyrics.
Bell released a rap song on Twitter over the holiday weekend. The lyrics seemed to indicate it will take $15 million a season to remain with the Steelers.
"I'm at the top, and if not, I'm the closest. I'm a need 15 a year and they know this," Bell rapped.
Bell is right. He is perhaps the NFL's best running back. However, there are some extenuating circumstances that will almost certainly prevent him from earning that sum with the Steelers.
First, the Steelers also must pay Antonio Brown in the same neighborhood in 2018. It's going to be difficult to have three players earn more than $15 million a season no matter how much the salary cap goes up between now and then.
Bell also hasn't been on the field enough to warrant that type of contract. He has played in only 35 of a possible 48 games during his first three seasons. He missed three games with a foot injury in 2013, eight games last season with a knee injury and two others last season under an NFL suspension for violating the league's policy on substance abuse.
And then of course there is the fact that the Steelers can keep Bell for 2017, and they don't have to negotiate with him at all.
The Steelers could place the franchise tag on Bell and pay him significantly less than $15 million per season. The franchise number for running backs this year was $11.7 million.
If Bell was serious about $15 million a year being a contract demand, the Steelers could save around $3 million, or maybe more, by placing the franchise tag on him. The $11.7 figure in 2016 might actually go down next year. The franchise tag is determined by calculating the average salary for the top five players at the position they play.
Adrian Peterson sets the bar with a salary of $14 million this season, but he makes $6 million more than the next highest-paid running back, LeSean McCoy of the Bills.
