Generational talent, I hate that term. How about another generational malcontent. I don't want him, and for the 20th time I'll say why. The Jets are not on the cusp of winning anything. If this was the '94 Rangers, sure. It isn't. Bell is not a missing piece to the puzzle when the Jets have some many other pieces missing. I'm gonna repeat myself from the Odell Beckham, Headcase thread: neither and/or both is a solution with a team that is pretty much a bunch of flotsam and jetsam right now. Jetsam, heh. Incidental Word Play. I'm also gonna repeat myself again: Adam Gase hasn't coached one game yet. It would be different if the Jets had one year under him and we got to see how the draft played out. Neither has happened yet. So no, do not want. Let someone else pay him. He's not a critical addition right now. If it was 2020 and all of that already transpired, I might feel differently, but I'm not a psychic like that fraud, Theresa Caputo.
I don’t think many people could argue that he’s a generational talent. It’s been discussed a few different times in this thread and even people who are lukewarm on signing him have to see it. Also, for maybe the 74th time in this thread, we have plenty of money and resources available to fill out the rest of the roster with high-level guys regardless of whether or not we sign Bell. Getting a top tier OL or DE and getting Bell are not mutually exclusive. And if the excuse is “Adam Gase can’t coach a guy like Bell” then we made the wrong hire. We did anyway, but we EXTRA made the wrong hire if his shitty style is why you don’t chase the best offensive talent to hit the market since the turn of the millennium.
Just a baseless rumor with no merit. Even his trainer denied it, and the rumor didn't say he's 260 now, it says that he may have hit 260 at one point during his season off. It says nothing about his condition now and surely any team would give him a physical / workout before bringing him in.
This GM has been here five years the Jets ain't won jack under his watch. They hired Gase what's the point in hiring a experienced coach if he's going to deliver rookie HC results? $100 million in cap space. They better attack this offseason like they're trying to win something now.
even an average running back would look good running behind the steelers offensive line. something our gm has yet to realize or do anything about....
Do not understand the ambivalence. Of course we want him! The jets got the money and what the hell else should they spend it on? Another Trumaine Johnson, Fitzpatrick, Revis, Wilkerson, or other MacCagnan free agent gem?
As I mentioned in another thread, the last thing this team needs is a Me-First! running back in Darnold's ear. And for all the trouble he'll cause, he's not that good.
There’s close to nothing to support this theory. Plenty of his teammates have said he’s a workhorse. Don’t confuse him holding out for the money he thought he was worth with being a bad teammate.
I think it's difficult to argue that a player who holds out for a full season, turning his back on the teammates he's played with for the last 5 years is a good teammate. Tie that to the fact he's a repeat offender under the league's substance abuse regulations, and it says, "self-indulgent." He was already making more than anyone else (depending on how you argue it) https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers/cap/2017/, the Steelers offered him a $3M raise to $15 M. John Connor isn't making 10% of that, btw. His entire argument is "me first." I recognize it's a business from both sides, but sitting out a full year is just a high-profile hissy fit. Finally, he turned down $15M because of money? Seriously, how bright can he be? He's never going to make that back. Notice I didn't mention he's well past the average life of an NFL RB. You like him, I think he's "trouble waiting to happen." But I've been wrong before, so I'll just leave it at that.
We'll know in two weeks if his gamble paid off. Unlike last year, he'll have 4 to 5 teams bidding on him as opposed to just one. Throw in the fact that some of the teams have over 100M in cap space and some are very desperate (Jets, Raiders), I could see him getting $18M for 3 or 4 years. Khali Mack gets $23M a year, which a few years ago seemed crazy. Could Bell top $20M a year? What we don't know about last year. Is what if he got hurt on the tag or the Steelers deal and didn't have a good season? Steelers would have cut him and his value this year would be much lower.
He would still have the $33 million that was fully Guaranteed and $45 million or more if the injury was severe.
I'd avoid. We don't have the line or the other offensive options. I'd much rather have more options on offense and spread the ball around. We're not at the stage yet where we can exploit full value from a guy like Bell. Steelers had quality line, experienced QB many receiving threats etc.
In the NFL you play for pay. His issue is totally related to money. That is not turning your back on your team-mates. The fact that Conner is making 10% of what Bell is making is based on the CBA so is the fact that Bell has been tagged twice. Again, that has nothing to do with Bell's relationship to his team-mates. I agree he will probably never make that money back. On the other hand Bell doesn't have to play football for 1 dollar less guaranteed than he's willing to play for. None of that makes him a bad team-mate or a bad guy. That's the reality of the new CBA. Drafted players and players who are tagged are treated differently than other players. They don't have the right to negotiate guaranteed money. They are effectively slotted. They have every right to pass. It has nothing to do with his team-mates. You could make the argument that management threw him under the bus. NFL Management leaks the great offers they made in a none guaranteed contract without ever leaking the guaranteed money all the time. The fans buy it all the time. The league substance abuse policy is a real issue. Sitting out 1 year probably isn't a real issue. Players sit out a year with ACL tears all the time now and come back. The lack of wear and tear might be plus. I'm not advocating signing him or not signing him. He turned his back on his team-mates seems like a fabricated reason. Bell is going to the team that's willing to give him the most guaranteed money. The question is can we front load it and own him so that when the cap does matter we can cut him with out carrying a ton of dead cap space. The trick with Bell is getting him signed to a deal that costs us cap space while he's still likely very productive and gives him the guaranteed money he is looking for that someone else might give him. Preferably 2 years, 3 tops. I think we can actually do that. It's tricky when guys can actually negotiate. Management doesn't get to protect themselves from overspending.
I appreciate the argument. My comment about good/bad teammate was a response to BroadwaySam's stated position, "Don’t confuse him holding out for the money he thought he was worth with being a bad teammate." The implication of which is that he's a good teammate, and to which I said I the holdout was surely not any indication he was a good one. Especially if you consider the Steelers were one of half a dozen teams in September poised to make a SB run. Yes, the difference on the one point is subtle. I was arguing when you take his whole together, he's not one to you want to bring in when you already have a franchise leader. I think it's "borrowing trouble." Especially when you consider they already have several on-field problem areas. All just IMHO.
"Don’t confuse him holding out for the money he thought he was worth with being a bad teammate." I don't think that statement implies anything other that wanting to get paid doesn't make you a bad teammate. The one thing we know is he produced in games. Guys who do their job and are good at it are good to have around if you want to win. Bell had 321 carries and 85 catches in 2017. The guy came to work and did his job well. Those are the guys you want. How much they cost and what else you can have is part of the equation. The bad team-mate thing is overblown. The Jets could use a few more guys in the locker room who know how to produce at a very high level all the time. Bell fits that. The question is age and value.
If you are waiting for Mike Mccagnan to build an offensive line before we sign great running backs, you are waiting for a day that will never happen. Check his 4 drafts and you will see a whole TWO offense lineman drafted and both in round FIVE.
