Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
The former running back sensation of the Pittsburgh Steelers has shown enough internal fortitude to have made him a star on Howie Mandel’s “Deal or No Deal” television show.
Le’Veon Bell has continued to tell the Pittsburgh Steelers’ “banker” to get lost with his continual “No Deal!” responses to the Steelers’ series of contract offers.
Statistically speaking, his willingness to forego $14.5 million in 2018 and sit out for the entire NFL season is going against the statistical odds on the longevity of an average NFL running back.
Then again, you couldn’t win the big $1 million prize on “Deal or No Deal” without taking a number of risks.
Let’s review.
Le’Veon Bell has been a standout running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers since being drafted out of Michigan State in the second round in 2013.
His rushing and pass receiving yardage totals for the Steelers during his first five seasons have been remarkable. In three of his five seasons with Pittsburgh, Bell has rushed for over 1,000 yards and caught 75 or more passes in those three seasons. Very few running backs in the NFL have ever displayed such gaudy stats.
His contract was up for negotiation, and he wanted to get as much money as he could from the Steelers.
Unfortunately, the Pittsburgh Steelers had already invested heavily in keeping their likely Hall-of-Fame Quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, and his favorite wide receiver, Antonio Brown.
When Le’Veon Bell’s contract came up for negotiation two years ago, the Steelers cleverly placed the team’s “Franchise Player” tag onto him.
The NFL’s “Franchise Tag” designation means the player receives a one-year contract at a pay based on the average of the top five salaries by position for the previous league year, or if higher, 120 percent of a player’s salary from the previous season.
This process is meant to give the player’s current team a chance to negotiate a long-term contract with the player. While negotiations continue, the player still receives a market-valued pay for the upcoming season. The idea is to keep players from jumping from team to team frequently.
Bell played the 2017 season at the “Franchise Tag” pay.
During the 2018 offseason, Le’Veon Bell turned down the Steelers’ contract offers again. The Steelers countered by placing the “Franchise Tag” designation on Bell for a second and final season with a pay offer of $14.5 million for the 2018 football season.
Bell said, “No Deal!” again. This year, he decided to sit-out the 2018 season without any pay.
This story isn’t about whether Bell or the Steelers are right.
It is about statistics and the incredible financial risk Bell is taking by sitting out for a season.
According to one report, the average football player’s NFL career is only 3.6 years.
For running backs, though, the statistical average is only 2.8 seasons. Running backs have the shortest average career in the NFL due to the amount of hits they take.
Bell has already defied the odds by being on the field for five NFL seasons.
Unfortunately for Bell, Pittsburgh’s back-up tailback, James Conner, is having a breakout All-Star season in 2018. Without Bell, Pittsburgh is perched atop the standings in the AFC Central Division and has kept $14.5 million in its corporate pocket in 2018.
The gutsy Bell told the banker “No Deal” for $14.5 million in 2018.
He may or may not earn enough in his next deal with another team to have justified decisions made this season.
Statistically speaking, though, I have watched enough “Deal or No Deal” know that the odds are not in Le’Veon Bell’s financial favor going forward.
The banker usually wins.