Le'Veon Bell on 2018 holdout: 'I don't regret anything that happened'
Last year, star running back Le’Veon Bell threatened to sit out the entire 2018 season after the Pittsburgh Steelers franchised tagged him for a second straight year. Surprisingly, he followed through.
Now that he finally got a big deal from the New York Jets, does he have any regrets about how things went down?
"I don't regret anything that happened," Bell said in his introductory news conference on Thursday. "Obviously, everything happened for a reason. Who can say if I played last year if I do go out there and play on a one-year [deal] or franchise tag that I do get hurt, do I end up sitting here today being with the New York Jets? On the other side of it, if I go out there and do play on the franchise tag and I get another 400 carries, who's to say that a team would pay me after 400 carries?"
While Bell may not have reset the market for running backs, he did land a four-year, $52.5 million contract — that could reach as high as $61 million — with $35 million guaranteed. He bet on himself and came away smiling.
Bell: ‘This is the best I’ve literally ever felt’
Bell was reportedly offered more total money by the Steelers last year, but he called the offer “Monopoly money” because only $17 million was guaranteed. His holdout wasn’t about money — the $16 million he’s already earned is life-changing money — so much as it was about respect.
Bell wanted security and to feel like his team cared about him. Sure, he gave up $14.5 million last season by not playing, but he guaranteed his health going into this offseason. The Steelers gave him a league-leading 427 touches in 2017, and since they likely would not have retained him, they could have run Bell into the ground.
There’s plenty of history showing what can happen after a player gets 400 touches, and Bell is clearly aware of that. Playing on the franchise tag in 2018, getting hurt and playing on a small one-year deal in 2019 was not an option for him, so he guaranteed his health so that he could earn a big payday.
"It's the best my body's really ever felt in my life," Bell said. "There's nothing that even comes close to comparing how I feel. Literally just resting and letting my body heal. ... My body got so much rest, I've got so much built up in me, it's time to let go. This is the best I've literally ever felt in my life -- that I can remember."
Bell: ‘I’m happy where I’m at’
Of course, Bell earned one of the largest contracts. His $35 million is second only to Todd Gurley for effective guarantees among running backs, and some were saying he might not even get David Johnson’s $30 million in guarantees from last year.
Not only that, but Bell got his wish of leaving the reality show-esque Steelers for a team that not only wanted him but needed him.
"The Jets just kinda were the team that I kinda had in the back of my mind where I wanted to go," Bell said. "So, you know, once the numbers made sense to me it wasn't really a hard decision. I made a decision and I'm happy with the decision I made. Today I woke up, you know, feeling amazing. I'm happy where I'm at."
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