LeVeon Bell Holdout?

[Ken]

They are a potential championship team, so I think management would welcome him back with open arms — for this season only. Right now, they’re getting Bell-like production without a Bell-like contract. Win-win.

So far they have lost to the Chiefs and tied the Browns and their defense looks terrible. I would tap the breaks on potential championship team until they figure out how to play defense this year.

[revo]

So far they have lost to the Chiefs and tied the Browns and their defense looks terrible. I would tap the breaks on potential championship team until they figure out how to play defense this year.

Regardless, their current SB Championship odds make them the 4th favorite in the AFC.

[chancellor]

Regardless, their current SB Championship odds make them the 4th favorite in the AFC.

I’d bet against those odds. I have to agree with Ken in this one - maybe they sneak in the playoffs, but with their utter lack of defense, they’ll get crushed early.

[Mithrandir]

So far they have lost to the Chiefs and tied the Browns and their defense looks terrible. I would tap the breaks on potential championship team until they figure out how to play defense this year.

This. Their defense sucks. And I'm not sure how it gets any better.

[madducks]

This. Their defense sucks. And I'm not sure how it gets any better.

Joe Haden will be back this week to help the secondary.

[onejayhawk]

I’d bet against those odds. I have to agree with Ken in this one - maybe they sneak in the playoffs, but with their utter lack of defense, they’ll get crushed early.

Mahomes was 25/28 in that game, partly because there were so many (for him) short tosses. He picked them apart and the yards after catch fried the Steelers. They gave up a 36 yard TD to a FB that scores every three years or so. It isn't that bead, but it isn't good either.

Joe Haden will be back this week to help the secondary.

Which should help a lot, but not enough for a full turn around.

J

[Ken]

They could withdraw the franchise tag. I believe that would make him a free agent.

Lets go back to the hypothetical here. Lets assume for argument's sake that we get to week 10 and the Steelers are not in the hunt. What do you think happens with Bell?

The Steelers would not be motivated to have him come back on a franchise tag. So do they withdraw it and make him a free agent??

[revo]

Lets go back to the hypothetical here. Lets assume for argument's sake that we get to week 10 and the Steelers are not in the hunt. What do you think happens with Bell?

The Steelers would not be motivated to have him come back on a franchise tag. So do they withdraw it and make him a free agent??

If he's still holding out by the NFL Trade Deadline of October 30th -- which is just after Week 8 -- and the Steelers have a losing record, I could see them dealing him then.

If they don't trade him then, and they have a losing record by Week 10, it would come down to the Steelers paying him $6m or so the rest of the way, or letting him go to another team. Do you think the Steelers would be that far out of it that they wouldn't need him? Six games is a lot, and I can't see them being that far behind. I think they keep the tag on.



Interesting facts from a fantasy perspective. Only 1 in 5 teams that drafted Bell ended up with Conner.

From ESPN:

"Drafters who took Bell No. 1 overall in ESPN leagues have a winning percentage of 43.5 percent compared with 65.2 percent among those who drafted Gurley first. Those Gurley-led teams are producing 11.5 percent more points on average than those who took Bell with the top spot.

Exactly 21.3 percent of teams in ESPN leagues that drafted Bell also have James Conner on the roster. Those teams have a winning percentage of 59.98 percent."

[madducks]

Interesting facts from a fantasy perspective. Only 1 in 5 teams that drafted Bell ended up with Conner.

From ESPN:

"Drafters who took Bell No. 1 overall in ESPN leagues have a winning percentage of 43.5 percent compared with 65.2 percent among those who drafted Gurley first. Those Gurley-led teams are producing 11.5 percent more points on average than those who took Bell with the top spot.

Exactly 21.3 percent of teams in ESPN leagues that drafted Bell also have James Conner on the roster. Those teams have a winning percentage of 59.98 percent."

Conner was drafted with the 5th to last pick in my league (non Bell owner). I took Doug Martin 7 picks prior.

[umjewman]

I took Conner in all 3 of my leagues. I only own Bell in one of them. The Bell owner in the other 2 is less than pleased with me.

[Mithrandir]

Anyone who plays FF and lives in the Pittsburgh area.... AND drafted Bell in the 1st round is an idiot.

[madducks]

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports the Steelers are now listening to trade offers for holdout RB Le'Veon Bell.
They're satisfied with what James Conner has given the offense through two games and are looking to move on from the Bell situation, which has caused major off-field distractions. Bell has shown no intention of wanting to play anytime soon, seemingly more concerned with his musical career than football during the prolonged holdout. Any team interested in trading for Le'Veon would almost certainly want to work out a long-term deal before the move is made, and that creates several different obstacles to work around, including Bell's suspension and injury histories in addition to what's left of his commitment to playing football. (Rotoworld)

[Ken]

Any team interested in trading for Le'Veon would almost certainly want to work out a long-term deal before the move is made

I thought we established that he can't sign a long term deal even if traded based on how the franchise tag works?

[Hornsby]

I thought we established that he can't sign a long term deal even if traded based on how the franchise tag works?

This is about as comprehensive an explanation as I could find:

Only players under contract can be traded. Bell has not signed his franchise tag, so he is not under contract and thus, at present, not subject to a trade. And if Bell doesn't want to be traded, all he has to do is not sign the tender prior to the October 30 trade deadline. If he sticks to his (reported) guns and wants to continue to sit out until he absolutely has to sign the tag, it will be two weeks later than the trade deadline. In that situation, the Steelers wouldn't be able to move him if they wanted to.

Further, Bell could prevent a trade by agreeing to sign the franchise tender prior to the trade deadline and requesting that a no-trade clause be added to the contract. Former NFL agent Joel Corry confirmed to Dave Bryan at Steelers Depot that such language can be added into the franchise tender, just as Corry noted earlier in September that Bell "is allowed to negotiate his one-year salary and other conditions relating to his franchise-player status."

Trade compensation is also a concern. The Steelers are already likely to earn a third-round compensatory pick when Bell leaves in free agency next spring, so there's no question that the team would not accept anything less from an interested trade partner. The Steelers, therefore, need the incentive to trade Bell while at the same time getting Bell's cooperation in any would-be trade.

Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reported on Monday that the New York Jets have contacted the Steelers about a potential Bell trade. He notes that the Jets have enough cash on hand to pay the prorated amount of Bell's remaining tag value ($17 million in cap space versus just under $12 million for Bell if he signs the tag prior to Saturday) as well as enough projected cap space in 2018 (around $90 million) to give him a long-term deal in the offseason. They also have a third-round 2019 draft pick on hand as trade compensation for Pittsburgh.

There are likely other teams that have called the Steelers about Bell's availability, both before and after Schefter's report. But the hurdles are the same for them as they are for the Jets. Until Bell signs the franchise tag, any trade talk is merely hypothetical. Without Bell's cooperation, there will be no trade. If October 30 comes and goes without Bell having signed the tag, there will be no trade. While that doesn't mean no trade will happen, the barriers currently in place make it a difficult transaction.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/andreahangst/2018/09/24/pittsburgh-steelers-could-trade-leveon-bell-but-it-wont-be-easy/#7f5e39187754

[TS Garp]

I thought we established that he can't sign a long term deal even if traded based on how the franchise tag works?

I don't think he can sign a long-term deal with the new team so they'd be taking the risk that he's a rental although the team and Bell may have a handshake agreement that he'll sign with them once he's able to.