The deadline has passed. Le'Veon Bell failed to do a long-term contract with the Steelers and must play the 2017 NFL season for $12.12 million.
I know, the inhumanity of it all.
The next important date is July 27. Will Bell report to training camp?
I'm thinking there's a really good chance Bell won't.
Easy.
That wouldn't mean the end of the season and the Super Bowl hopes that Pittsburgh has every year.
Bell wanted that new contract because it would have meant more security and more guaranteed money, perhaps as much as $20 million or $25 million in guaranteed money. As it is, Bell is guaranteed only the $12.12 million once he signs the Steelers' franchise tender, which he surely will before the season. It really is ridiculous to put "only" in the same sentence with $12.12 million, but you have to look at it from Bell's view. If he has a major injury before or during this season, his earning power will be compromised, if not damaged beyond recognition.
That's why I believe it's a real possibility Bell will limit his injury risk by avoiding the preseason. That doesn't mean he will miss any regular-season games. What is $12.12 million divided by 16 games? Even my limited mathematics expertise tells me that is more than $750,000 per game. Bell is too smart to sit out and miss even one of those paychecks. Even if he does avoid camp, he will report before the first real game Sept. 10 at Cleveland.
It wouldn't be the first time that sort of thing happened with the Steelers.
Hines Ward didn't report to camp in 2005 because he wasn't happy with his contract, which still had a year left. He ended that holdout late in the preseason per the advice of good friend, Jerome Bettis. Ward didn't just get his new contract soon after he came in. He helped lead the Steelers to Super Bowl XL and was MVP in their win against the Seattle Seahawks.
These things aren't insurmountable.
I realize there's a difference between Bell's situation and Ward's. Ward was able to do his new contract after he reported. Bell can't do a long-term deal until at least after the 2017 season when he will become an unrestricted free agent unless the Steelers put their franchise tag on him again for another $14 million or so to him. That's why Monday's deadline was important. Bell is locked in for $12.12 million this season.
I was hoping Bell would get the big _ or should I say bigger _ contract. He is the NFL's best running back, as adept at catching the ball as he is running with it. He was the Steelers MVP in 2016 for a reason. He led the team to the AFC championship, setting franchise postseason rushing records in consecutive wins against Miami and Kansas City. A long-term deal for him would assure that he, Antonio Brown and Ben Roethlisberger would be together for at least three more years as long as Roethlisberger plays out his contract.
But I get management's reluctance to commit that $20 million or $25 million to Bell now. He missed the start of the past two seasons because of marijuana-related suspensions, although I believed him when he told me in February that his "knucklehead" behavior was behind him. Management also has to be concerned about Bell's injury history. He missed all of the postseason in 2014 and 2015 because of knee injuries and had to leave the AFC championship early against New England last season because of a groin injury. But I don't believe Bell is any more susceptible to injury than any running back. He plays a brutal position in a brutal game.
That's why it's reasonable to think Bell will skip camp as a precaution against injury.
Management wouldn't like it. Neither would Mike Tomlin and his coaches. Even the other players wouldn't be thrilled, although they, more than anybody, understand football is a business. We are talking about millions here. Players know that careers can be short because of injuries.
Know this:
Everyone will welcome Bell whenever he joins the team _ at the start of the preseason or at the end. The Steelers certainly won't take back their franchise tag and allow Bell to become a free agent immediately. Everyone with the Steelers is eager to see what the offense will look like if all the parts are healthy. The line should be terrific. You know what Roethlisberger, Brown and Bell can do. If Martavis Bryant can stay clean ...
The offense could be the best in franchise history.
No matter what happens between now and the opening game in Cleveland, Bell will be ready to go. I believe that. I believe he will be just as hungry and productive as he was last season. I don't think he will be afraid of an injury in the regular season. He knows he is playing for another big contract next season.
I don't care about what Bell does in the exhibition games. I just care about what he does against Cleveland and in the real games that follow.
