Everyone that knows anything about football knows Le’Veon Bell is surely a top five running back in the NFL and has been for a while now. It’s very rare for any player as accomplished as Bell to not sign a contract extension and be available on the free agent market, so teams should be head over heels to sign him, right? Well, it’s more complicated than that.
Bell has been known as single-minded, motivated by money. That’s the reason he didn’t sign an extension with the Steelers, he believed that he was valuable enough that a different team would be willing to pay him more than the Steelers would.
Bell sat out the entire 2018 season to preserve his body to get the best contract possible. Doing so, he passed up on $14.544 million to not play for the Steelers. Also, he proved he may not be as great as we all thought, his backup, sophomore running back, James Conner took the world by storm, rushing for 973 yards and adding an additional 497 receiving yards in just 12 games started. These shocking numbers prove that either Conner is simply a superstar, or the Steelers’ team is built in a way that sets up a work-horse running back for major success.
Late in a week 13 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Conner got hurt, at first it didn’t seem serious, but then Conner didn’t start for the following three consecutive games. This window of time would allow everyone to see if any Steelers’ running back will be successful. Third-string running back, Jaylen Samuels proved this theory true. Samuels wasn’t even a running back in college, he played a position called H-back of which resembles a fullback or an undersized TE more than a typical NFL running back, surely this player will be a disaster in the NFL. The Steelers proved that to be wrong. In Samuels’ three games, he rushed for 223 yards and received 105 yards.
After Conner’s and Samuels’ performances, Bell’s value decreased dramatically. Teams are now certain that regardless of who the Steelers’ running back is, they will put up stellar numbers. This doesn’t mean that Bell is no longer a top five running back, he’s a different breed. Bell’s patient running style helps the passing game and his receiving skills are unlike any other running back in history. If he weren’t a top five running back, he’d be a top 15 wide receiver.
An overlooked aspect of Bell’s game is he needs a high-quality offensive line to allow him to be patient and cut into the correct hole which is what made him a perfect fit for and such a dynamic runner for the Steelers. Ironically, Bell turned down a $70 million, five-year contract from the Steelers to test the free agent waters for just $2 million more a year. Mathematically and logically speaking, Bell’s decisions make little sense, he could’ve played in 2018 and received the $14.544, signed the $70 million extension with the Steelers and made $15 million a year. He said he wanted $17 million a year, but playing in 2018 would’ve made up the difference. Also, Bell is 26 so most other teams will probably give him less time than five years. Furthermore, the Steelers would be Bell’s best bet to establish his legacy as one of the greatest running backs of all time, however, the past is in the past and Bell is a free agent.
Due to Bell’s backups’ performances, I doubt any team will be willing to give him such a hefty contract, but some teams have been rumored to be involved in contract talks with him, those being the Jets, the Colts, and the Texans. The Colts have three running backs with a lot of potential. One of those being sophomore, Marlon Mack who finally overcame his injury-plagued career and a looming injury in his breakout 2018 preformance. Texans’ running back, Lamar Miller had a career season and made the Pro Bowl, these players most likely remove the Colts and Texans as major contenders for Bell, that leaves just the Jets.
As I mentioned earlier, to be successful, Bell needs a good offensive line to allow him to be patient, the Jets’ line was abysmal in 2018 and isn’t going to be cured in just one off-season, while they are the most likely to pay Bell close to what he wants, if he wants to be successful, he’ll have to settle for less money. Another team searching for a running back that has a quality offensive line is the Chicago Bears who want to make a push for a championship this year. However, they have “The Human Joystick”, Tarik Cohen, arguably the best receiving back, second to only Bell. Cohen defeats half the purpose of the Bears signing Bell. Plus, they have been linked to and are considered front-runners for Kareem Hunt.
All of this leaves one clear favorite, the Baltimore Ravens. Next season, they’re projected to have a running back committee with Gus Edwards and Kenneth Dixon. Edwards is nothing special, he can’t cut, he can’t catch, but he can run right up the middle and fall forward which made his stats and public perception look better than what he truly is. On the other hand, Dixon has struggled with injuries, but does have a massive upside if he can stay healthy for an entire year.
With the switch from the expensive and old quarterback, Joe Flacco, to electric and cheap rookie quarterback, Lamar Jackson, the Ravens are saving a lot of money and can afford to pay Bell more than most teams. The Ravens have a great offensive line, and the threat of Jackson running gives whoever their running back is a great opportunity every snap. This concept was proven true by the correlation of Jackson starting and both Edwards’ and Dixon’s breakouts.
If any team pays Bell what he wants, it’ll be the Jets, but even they most likely won’t pay him his requested $17 million a year. Bell proved this year, he cares more about money than his legacy, that’s why the Jets are the clear favorites. However, if Bell decides he wants to be successful, he’ll take a pay cut and join the Ravens.
Bell said he’d retire if he doesn’t get the deal he wants, nobody recognizes this as a realistic possibility, but then again, no one thought he’d sit out the entire 2018 season to preserve his body for free agency.