PITTSBURGH --
Pittsburgh Steelers running back
Le'Veon Bell told ESPN he is playing football in 2018 and does not expect to be traded.
Does not expect to be traded because no one has shown any interest in the prima-dona ...
Bell plans to be ready for the Week 8 matchup with the
Cleveland Browns on Oct. 28 in Pittsburgh and will decide how much practice time
he needs accordingly, a source said.
Who is in charge of the team and who should be making those decisions? Someone needs to learn what a COACH is supposed to do. Bell, your job is to be there with the rest of the team at the START of practice and COACH decides who needs to practice and when.
Bell, who is still sitting out while refusing to sign his franchise tender, said he's in prime physical condition and could play football "tomorrow" if he needed. He added he'll be "fully committed" to playing his best for Pittsburgh upon his return.
Ummm ... said the same thing last year, didn't sit out as long, was horrible his first game back and improved every game till he was back to "normal" playing ability after 3-4 weeks.
The
Steelers are exploring trade options for Bell, though Bell believes he can stay with the team. The Steelers told Bell during franchise-tag negotiations that they would transition-tag him in 2019, which would set the stage for Bell to negotiate with other teams while Pittsburgh holds his rights. The 2019 transition-tag number is expected to be more than $17 million.
That WAS what the tag was worth, but since he is only playing a little over 1/2 the season, his salary for this year is a little more than $8M, making the transition tag somewhere in the range of $11M. Now he can petition the NFL to allow the Transition Tag to be based on the WHOLE year salary, but that is not a given since he will not have played, or been paid, for a full year.
"I could be naïve or hopeful, but at the end of the day I feel like that's what's going to happen," Bell said about re-signing with the Steelers. "I don't think they really want me gone. That could be me being prideful. But I'm still holding out hope."
Yep, that COULD be you being prideful ... you have been known to be prideful before ...
"It's costing me some fans," Bell said. "A lot of people call me selfish but I'm really not. I'm doing it for guys behind me or guys who don't understand what's going on in the business of football. The 22 years I've been playing football, I've always brought value. I don't think the Steelers valued me as much."
See prideful answer above .. And be honest with yourself ... you are not doing it for those that come behind you, you are doing it for you. A little honesty would help the situation. You want more money, you want less playing time, you, you, you ... where is the we in team? Where is concern for you team mates? Your fans? Yep, 2 years in a row, it has cost you a LOT of fans, Mr. Bell!
