What the Steelers and Le’Veon Bell can learn from Von Miller’s contract with Broncos
PITTSBURGH 鈥� Three months after undergoing groin surgery, no one expects to see Le鈥橵eon Bell on the field ducking and dodging linebackers when the Steelers begin their three-day mini-camp today on the South Side.
But the Steelers star running back should at least be standing on the sidelines at the UPMC Rooney 缅北禁地 Complex, right?
Maybe.
Unlike OTAs, which Bell skipped, mini-camp is mandatory. Today should provide the clearest indication to date where contact negotiations with Bell stand and where they could be headed.
In March, the Steelers placed their exclusive franchise tag on Bell, meaning that he鈥檒l earn $12.2 million for the 2017 season. It also means that Bell can only play for the Steelers. That鈥檚 if he plays.
There鈥檚 a chance that Bell, who has yet to sign his tag, could be a holdout. But, other than an April Fool鈥檚 Day tweet, there has been no indication of that yet.
Certainly, Bell hasn鈥檛 declared any altruistic ultimatums like Von Miller, who last summer vowed to never play under the tag. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a league-wide problem that I feel like I鈥檓 in a situation to help out with,鈥� the Denver Broncos linebacker said July 12. Two days later, Miller received a six-year, $114.5-million extension from Denver.
Most likely, Bell鈥檚 contention with the Steelers isn鈥檛 about the dollar amount. Even if he gets a new contract, it鈥檚 unlikely that Bell will exceed the $12 million-plus he鈥檒l receive next season. Bell is perhaps the best player at his position, but with Adrian Peterson鈥檚 contract off the books, NFL running backs just aren鈥檛 going to get $14 million anymore.
For Bell, this comes down to financial security.
The Steelers have already doled out a big money extension for Antonio Brown and still have to work out deals with Alejandro Villaneuva and Stephon Tuitt. However, there are obvious risks for the Steelers in giving a long-term deal to Bell in particular.
Each of the Steelers鈥� past three season-ending losses have ended with Bell unable to finish due to injury (knee in 2014, knee in 鈥�15 and groin in 鈥�16) . Also, Bell has missed the start of each of the past two seasons while serving drug-related suspensions.
All indications are that Bell鈥檚 off-field issues are behind him, but the injuries have to be a little more troubling.
Art Rooney II and GM Kevin Colbert have stated that they would like to sign a contract extension with Bell that will keep him in a Pittsburgh uniform throughout his career. They will have until July 15 to do so.
The best guess is that deal will get done, but much like Denver and Miller, it will be done at the last possible moment.