Steelers should approach Bell about extension now
July 22, 2016
A Pittsburgh Steelers is seen on an end zone pylon before the start of an NFL football game between the St. Louis Rams and the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)
We first heard that Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell might have missed a required drug test a month ago when the Steelers were at mini-camp.
At the time, Bell denied that had happened, saying he hadn’t failed or missed any tests.
I took him at his word since only one outlet reported it at that time.
Friday, however, the news came out again that Bell was facing a suspension for skipping a test. That immediately brought everything to the forefront again.
It appears that Bell did, indeed, miss a required test, which, for a player in his situation can result in an automatic 4-game suspension.
But, the league also can suspend a player if they feel he intentionally skipped a test. That is apparently what happened with Steelers receiver Martavis Bryant. If that is what happened with Bell, he might have some wiggle room on this.
He is appealing the suspension. And if there is a good reason why he might have missed a test, the league could choose to go lightly on him. After all, he wasn’t a guy who had failed multiple tests to get placed in the program. His entrance came from one incident - albeit a bad one in which he was operating a vehicle.
What does this do for Bell and the Steelers in the long term? For me, it puts all negotiating power in the court of the Steelers.
If I’m GM Kevin Colbert, I approach Bell’s agent right now and offer a four-year contract extension at $7 to $8 million per season.
Bell went on record - literally, in fact – saying he was worth $15 million a season on his rap CD. He later backtracked on that.
Adrian Peterson makes $14 million per season. But the next tier of running backs – LeSean McCoy, Jonathan Stewart, Doug Martin and Jamaal Charles – are all in the 7-8 range per season.
They wouldn’t have to work hard to convince him that he’s not getting a big contract on the open market with a year-long suspension as a possibility for another infraction.
Bell is the best running back not named Peterson in the league. And, at 24, he might be a better overall talent than Peterson with room still to grow as a player.
But he’s had injury issues – something the player and his agent aren’t going to want to discuss – and the suspension issues, which are something that must be factored into the equation.
If this four-game suspension is upheld, Bell will be one strike away from a year’s suspension.
If I’m the Steelers, I use that as a bargaining chip. And there’s little to lose.
If Bell signs, you’ve got the best back in the league signed to a reasonable deal. And if he messes up and gets suspended again, that year carries over. And he would still be under 30.
There’s an inherent danger to signing any NFL player to long-term deals because of injuries. That’s why NFL contracts largely aren’t guaranteed.
Getting Bell signed to an extension that includes some incentives for him to stay on the straight and narrow - and I believe he’s a good kid who has made a couple of mistakes – could be a bargain right now.
As for what will happen on the field, this is why the Steelers went out and signed DeAngelo Williams last year. Williams responded with 907 yards last season and Pittsburgh will be fine with him in the backfield for the first month.
Besides, with Bell coming off an MCL injury, the Steelers now don’t have to worry about him coming back too soon. He’ll get an extra month to heal. And that can’t be a bad thing.
