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so what is Bell worth now?

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After yesterday, what is Bell's worth? Arguably the best RB in the game. Yes, Ezekiel and David Johnson are good, but Bell is absolutely great.

Looking at the top 10 average salaries for this year at RB:

AP is at $14 mil
Jamaal Charles - $9,050,000
LeSean McCoy - $8,000,000
Jonathan Stewart - $7,300,000
Doug Martin - $7,150,000
Lamar Miller - $6,500,000
Chris Ivory - $6,400,000
DeMarco Murray - $6,250,000
Ezekiel Elliott - $6,239,085
Giovani Bernard - $5,166,667

Bell is 41st at $1,030,150 and it is more than safe to say he's outplayed his current contract. So how much do you sign him for? Salary cap will be $166,000,00. We're set to be at $126,100,435 with $2,395,222 in dead money. We also need to re-up AB.

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/rankings/average/running-back/

http://overthecap.com/salary-cap-space/
 
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Franchise him if you can't come to an agreement and see how he does next year.
 
Bell should be given a long term contract with the RB franchise tag ($11.789M) as the base value, with 2-3 more on incentives due to staying clean
 
I think they will try to pay 10 mil per year over 4 years. I think he will want 5 years and more money.
He might have to give in, based on his injury and suspension history. Pretty sure he wants to remain a Steeler.
 
He's going to get the franchise tag next year for sure, then they'll work out a deal with him. I figure he will get paid north of $10M a year and the usual suspects on this board will ***** a fit that no RB is worth that price tag.
 
He's worth being the highest paid back period......It will cost between $10-$12.5 million per
 
bermudasteel said:
If we don't pay him 13 mil - we'll lose the best RB in the game.

Get it done. Period.
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You pay him what he wants and also pay Brown and who are you willing to give up in return. Not saying we should let him walk, but there is not enough money to pay everyone.
 
Antonio is already commanding a big cap this season, a new contract won't add to the cap as in fact it will lower his hit for next season
 
SteelCurtain78 said:
You pay him what he wants and also pay Brown and who are you willing to give up in return. Not saying we should let him walk, but there is not enough money to pay everyone.
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True Litos, we actually will SAVE cap money next year when AB resigns a monster contract. Today, AB already counts $13.5M against next year's cap. Having a big signing bonus with a minimum salary in his first year, I expect his cap value to be around $8M next season.

Bell is a no brainer, and I try to sign him at $10M/season for 3-4 years. If it doesn't happen, we can tag him for around $12M. The only problem is, will another team be willing to give up 2 first rounders to sign him at $14-$16M per season? The more Bell does, the more this becomes a distinct possibility next season. You are getting 2 positions for your money with Bell. A top flight RB and a versatile slot receiver. He is also an invaluable blocker on blitz pickup, as well as being a dual threat in that role by releasing and taking a checkdown for big yardage.

Bell is a unique football player with talents that are not just as a runner. I can easily envision another team valuing him the same way and would be willing to dump 2 first rounders to get him. If that is the case, the Steelers may have to be a little more aggressive in their contract negotiation. If that's the way the Steelers see it, I can see $12M a season being a distinct possibility. The good thing is, next year we have the cap room to afford it!
 
Cope said:
True Litos, we actually will SAVE cap money next year when AB resigns a monster contract. Today, AB already counts $13.5M against next year's cap. Having a big signing bonus with a minimum salary in his first year, I expect his cap value to be around $8M next season.

Bell is a no brainer, and I try to sign him at $10M/season for 3-4 years. If it doesn't happen, we can tag him for around $12M. The only problem is, will another team be willing to give up 2 first rounders to sign him at $14-$16M per season? The more Bell does, the more this becomes a distinct possibility next season. You are getting 2 positions for your money with Bell. A top flight RB and a versatile slot receiver. He is also an invaluable blocker on blitz pickup, as well as being a dual threat in that role by releasing and taking a checkdown for big yardage.

Bell is a unique football player with talents that are not just as a runner. I can easily envision another team valuing him the same way and would be willing to dump 2 first rounders to get him. If that is the case, the Steelers may have to be a little more aggressive in their contract negotiation. If that's the way the Steelers see it, I can see $12M a season being a distinct possibility. The good thing is, next year we have the cap room to afford it!
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If a team decides he is worth two first-rounders, can't we match the offered deal anyway rather than take the picks? If someone is willing to forfeit two first rounders and they're going to stink anyway - Cleveland - why not take the first rounders to get our next franchise QB since they are likely to be high picks as well? Bell's propensity to smoke himself into suspensions bothers me and it should reduce his value.
 
Rooney's won't pay him.

Franchise, then buh bye Bell.
 
He fumbles to much.
 
Another positive testing would result in a full year suspension, correct? I think that should play a big role in the contract negotiation. Can't afford to be giving big money if he isn't going to be on the field because of suspensions.
 
I'd say if you can somehow figure out how to retain the 4 B's for the remainder of Ben's career you'd pretty much have the offense set if you can manage to hold together some semblance of a decent offensive line. I don't know if you can convince them that it's in their own interest in terms of competitive sustainability etc. Larger guaranteed money and all that.

But if they could figure out how to get Bryant in there (and sober) along with Brown and Bell... Lord have mercy on any defense that tried to deal with that quad for an entire season...

Course working out the cap for a reasonable defense as well... sigh. What to do, what to do...
 
mdk2 said:
Another positive testing would result in a full year suspension, correct? I think that should play a big role in the contract negotiation. Can't afford to be giving big money if he isn't going to be on the field because of suspensions.
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No. he is still on the same tier from his first offense. If there is a next missed test or positive it's 4 games.


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mdk2 said:
Another positive testing would result in a full year suspension, correct? I think that should play a big role in the contract negotiation. Can't afford to be giving big money if he isn't going to be on the field because of suspensions.
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No the next one is still only 4 games. That was part of the settlement

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ExUSAF said:
If a team decides he is worth two first-rounders, can't we match the offered deal anyway rather than take the picks? If someone is willing to forfeit two first rounders and they're going to stink anyway - Cleveland - why not take the first rounders to get our next franchise QB since they are likely to be high picks as well? Bell's propensity to smoke himself into suspensions bothers me and it should reduce his value.
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Yes, they can match, it just becomes a question of, is the other team overpaying for Bell, and is it worth it to let him go? Normally I'd say don't pay a RB, let him walk and draft his replacement, but we have 2 vital factors here that will help retain him:

1. Bell is a unique and special football player, who has a skillset that can not be replaced with one player.
2. We are in the waning years of the Big Ben era. Sign Bell to finish out Ben's contract, and do the same with AB. This will maximize the chances for wins and possibly another Super Bowl win.
 
Cope said:
I can easily envision another team valuing him the same way and would be willing to dump 2 first rounders to get him. If that is the case, the Steelers may have to be a little more aggressive in their contract negotiation. If that's the way the Steelers see it, I can see $12M a season being a distinct possibility. The good thing is, next year we have the cap room to afford it!
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Would the 2 first round picks be a bad thing though? Having a healthy Bell in his prime should be priority #1 but he's also 1 suspension away from taking a Bryant-esque sabbatical and he's coming off 2 major knee surgeries within the last few years. RB's have proven to have a notoriously short shelf life of 4-5 years of top play at most before dropping off big time. I'd just hate to overpay for Bell and be handcuffed salary cap wise for the next 4-5 years when looking at RB history, his production is bound to drop off heavily in as little as 2-3 years. 2 1st rounders also give you the best shot at hand picking Ben's replacement should one be worthy after this years draft.

I'm just saying I don't think the chance of someone stealing Bell for 2 first rounders is seen as a negative and they shouldn't give him a couple million more per year just because the chance exists. If a team offered 2 first rounders for Bell next offseason, I'd think twice about saying no (unless it's the Pats, Ravens or Bengals). Not because of Bell's ability (he's clearly the best back in the NFL right now), but because of the short life of the position especially given his injury/suspension history.
 
There is also the birds in hand/bush issue to. What college QB out there has shown qualities like Ben, Eli and Rivers? I haven't seen any. But I do have a all pro RB. I definitely wouldn't want him going to a division opponent.


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wig said:
I'd say if you can somehow figure out how to retain the 4 B's for the remainder of Ben's career you'd pretty much have the offense set if you can manage to hold together some semblance of a decent offensive line. I don't know if you can convince them that it's in their own interest in terms of competitive sustainability etc. Larger guaranteed money and all that.

But if they could figure out how to get Bryant in there (and sober) along with Brown and Bell... Lord have mercy on any defense that tried to deal with that quad for an entire season...

Course working out the cap for a reasonable defense as well... sigh. What to do, what to do...
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I still say, a Defense that is consistently slightly above average would put us in the win column with this offense. Look at what we are doing with an inconsistent D!
 
It is a subjective argument and hypothetical to say the least. I can see both sides here, though I'd understand the Steelers reasoning either way.

Draft picks are nice, but they still are question marks. We know what we have with Bell. Finding replacements are not a certainty, conversely though neither is Bell's health or propensity to be suspended.
 
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