Le'Veon Bell Is a Number-Crunchin' All-Star

An NFL truism is running backs -- even the elite dudes -- have a short shelf life.

Everyone well understands that RB is the game's churn-&-burn position.

Especially the running backs.

Unfortunately for them, the NFL has the least player-friendly salary format of the major North American sports. Portions of their wages aren't guaranteed, which escalates their risk of lost income.

 

Of course, it could be worse.

 

Toss franchise tags into the mix, and an RB's bargaining power is reduced to one course of action.

The holdout.

Naturally, that's a dicey move. It's a rare occasion when you can trade time for money and come out ahead. In an RB's case, holdouts cost time he'll never get back and produce no money in the process.

 

This scenario only works if an RB can calculate that he'll make more guaranteed money over less time by refusing to report.

Which is exactly what Le'Veon Bell and his agent have done.

Those with no skin in the game are skeptical of their strategy.

 

There it is. The default response.

And here's Bell's retort:

• Dude's 26 and in his prime where he could be earning the primo dosh;
• In football more than other sports, his career's one play away from being injured and over;
• The Steelers have overworked him, which could lead to his career's early decline, and
• With all this in mind, the franchise tag is costing him a year before he can make even more serious bank.

Admittedly, we're all one play away from who-knows-what ...

 

The Steelers had a five-year package of $17million in guaranteed money on the table, which works out to $3.4million per season.

Setting aside the fact that this is roughly what a veteran MLB utility player earned in 2015, it's not unreasonable for an elite player to believe he can do better.

 

23-year-old James Conner is making $578,000 this year on his rookie contract.

Who knows? At some point in the near future, he may be thanking Bell for taking this stand.

In more ways than one.

So might the Steelers, who are riding a five-game win streak that involves productively handing off to Conner.

 

Bell and his agent have taken a hard look at Todd Gurley -- the LA Rams' ground-game mainstay -- at his four-year deal with $45million guaranteed. That's $11.25 per season.

No average MLB utility player's earning that much, either.

By not playing this season, Bell's not risking a one-play-away disaster and definitely not taking another 400 hits. He's confident that somebody is gonna make him a Gurley-type offer.

 

All things considered, this is a decent bet. It's now a certainty that Bell will be totally healthy when he signs his next contract.

That's more than the Seattle Seahawks' recent holdout Earl Thomas can say. No wonder he flipped off their coaching staff while being carted away with what looked to be a season-ending injury.

 

With the issue of concussions already looming in players' minds, the comparison of Bell's and Thomas's situations is surely leaving an impression as to how the NFL's kajillions are being divided between owners and themselves.

Bell may have more dudes in his corner than most fans realize. Not to mention the OGs in owners' boxes, many of whom ironically can't wait to make him an offer.