Le’Veon Bell has been heavily criticized for sitting out a season and passing up nearly $15 million last year only to sign a contract that appears to be worth less than what the Pittsburgh Steelers offered him. However, the star running back has confirmed that guaranteed money was the issue.
Prior to last season, the Steelers offered Bell a five-year, $70 million deal. The $14 million average annual value of that contract would have been more than the $13 million he is getting from the New York Jets, but Bell confirmed to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler over the weekend that Pittsburgh fell short on guarantees.
In an interview with ESPN, Le’Veon Bell elaborated on turning down the Steelers’ five-year, $70-million deal last offseason because of issues with the team’s guaranteed money structures. pic.twitter.com/Kad4HNhF1F
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 17, 2019
You can point to the $14.5 million guaranteed Bell passed up by not playing under the franchise tag last season, but his point is that he could have suffered a severe injury and not had long-term security. Ultimately, he feels he got what he was seeking.
As we noted previously, Bell’s contract with the Jets is a lot better than some people are making it seem.
