Getty Image
After sitting out for an entire season former Steelers running back signed with the NY Jets after rebuffing the Steelers previous offer of 5-year $70 million.
https://twitter.com/DylansRawTake/status/1105851332777463818
Bell was able to get $35 million guaranteed from the Jets but still many questioned his decision to sit out for an entire season.
Le’Veon Bell’s four-year deal with the New York Jets has a max value of $61 million and includes $35 million guaranteed, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 13, 2019
Bell probably is getting what he was always going to get: two years guaranteed for about $30 million. But now he's given up $14.5 million to get it. Never made any sense.
— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) March 13, 2019
So LeVeon Bell took less guaranteed money, sat out a year of football where he made no money, and left one of the most storied and successful franchises in NFL history for one of the worst. Other than that everything worked out brilliantly for him. pic.twitter.com/wRdpg0C5wq
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) March 14, 2019
While speaking with ESPN, Bell explained that he took the Jets deal because the Steelers refused to give him any guaranteed money in their deal despite offering more money in the longterm.
In an interview with ESPN, Le’Veon Bell elaborated on turning down the Steelers’ five-year, $70-million deal last offseason because of issues with the team’s guaranteed money structures. pic.twitter.com/Kad4HNhF1F
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 17, 2019
Bell’s five-year, $70 million offer from the Steelers last offseason would have netted him around $45 million over the first three years, though the salaries were not guaranteed. That’s a $19 million difference from the $26 million he can earn in the first two years with the Jets.
“The [average per year] was fine. The three-year cash flow is fine. But you’ve got to give me some middle ground,” Bell said. “[The Steelers] tried to give me no leeway on that, take it or leave it … At the end of the day, I wanted to go where it would make me happy and have the guaranteed money, no matter what happens to me. I’ve seen what happened to [Steelers linebacker] Ryan Shazier [who might never play again after missing most of the past two seasons with a spinal injury], and I’ve seen that with my own eyes. I have to protect myself. The owners are protecting themselves, I have to do the same thing. Any other team and it would have been entirely fine. But the way [the Steelers] structure it and the way I am, I simply can’t rock with it. The way the Rams did it [with Todd Gurley’s contract] was perfect, Cardinals with David Johnson, Zeke [Elliott] will probably kill.”
Seems like a pretty reasonable decision considering the situation.
good morning to leveon bell’s haters
in 2017, after leading the league in touches per game (28), bell turned down 5/$33m guaranteed
his new 4/$35m is a year shorter and 33% higher than 2017 – after taking a yearlong vacation and preserving his body https://t.co/5RfY7TIylq
— mad max Ⓜ️ (@maxalan) March 13, 2019