The Pittsburgh Steelers have recently come to terms with their superstar pass rusher TJ Watt on a contract extension. Many analysts expected an ugly ordeal that could possibly carry into Week 1, but the two sides worked out a fair deal that keeps him locked up for the next few years. Obviously, that's not always the case with negotiations, especially in a notably stingy market like Pittsburgh. The team philosophy has resulted in certain players getting very angry, with one of them refusing to play for the team: Le'Veon Bell.
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Former Steelers players Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell helped Pittsburgh's offense terrorize opponents for a stretch of years during the 2010s.
While making an appearance on The Brian Hess Show, Bell was asked about his contract dispute with the Steelers that resulted in him holding out for an entire season before signing elsewhere. He explained his side of the story and what the demands were.
"'Bro, I want to play. Y'all give me the ball, I'm going to get hit a lot. I just need guaranteed money; I just need something to secure me, like make sure everything is secure,'" Bell recalled. "Regardless of what that amount was, I wanted that past the first year. They were only guaranteeing the money for the first year. I'm like, 'Man, I don't think that's fair,' and especially all the stuff I did already."
Bell was expected to be one of the highest paid rushers in the NFL, if not the highest paid running back. The average salary per year (APY) was there, and he had no issue with what they were offering on that front, but the guarantees were not there at all for him. This was right after he played on the franchise tag for a year already, and he had been tagged again. The unwillingness of the front office to budge at his demands was what caused him to abandon the team.
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Former Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell (#26) carries the ball up the field as he patiently waits for a hole during an NFL matchup against the Detroit Lions in Detroit, MI.
At that time, the Steelers refused to give out guaranteed money past the first year, especially to non-quarterbacks. Bell was not the only superstar to get refused on that request. The front office was not comfortable with giving out a lot of guaranteed money on what would be a massive contract to anyone. Bell did his best to break them, but it didn't work.
Steelers' Change Of Philosophy In Recent Years
When Watt was first negotiating his extension in 2021, he sat out all of training camp and preseason. However, the importance of him and the position he plays finally broke the Steelers and they gave him guaranteed money past the first year. Once Omar Khan became general manager, he locked up Minkah Fitzpatrick with more guaranteed money as well, and that negotiation never seemed to get ugly, at least in public.
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Steelers General Manager Omar Khan smiles while taking a picture with Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Recently, the Steelers tried a new tactic: signing a player to less APY, but guaranteeing money past one year. That's how they approached DeShon Elliott's contract extension, and they came to terms rather quickly. Elliott has a low cap hit, but more security than most players that Pittsburgh signs. With how well those talks went, Khan could try that strategy again in the future and keep good players around for cheap.
Historically, the Steelers are known for not adapting and sticking to what worked in the past, but Khan has been doing everything he can to buck that trend. So far, his way of doing contract negotiations seems to be smart. It's all about give and take, and he is more than happy to give some ground to key players to make them happy as long as they will reciprocate. That's the kind of general manager that Bell likely wishes he had back when he was in Pittsburgh.
What do you think about Bell's contract demands back when he held out for a whole season? Was he justified in his decision? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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