Ex-Steeler Le'Veon Bell Chooses New Team

PITTSBURGH, PA - Former Steeler running back Le’Veon Bell walked away from the team and a $14.5 million salary last year in hopes of becoming the NFL’s highest-paid running back.

That didn’t happen. Bell has signed a four-year contract with the New York Jets that offers less overall money than the Steelers offered in a long-term deal proposal before his season-long holdout.

The Jets are providing Bell with more guaranteed money, however. The Steelers offed $70 million over five year with $17 million in guarantees;
Bell’s contract with the Jets is for $52 million with $35 million guaranteed, according to ESPN. With various incentives, the contract ultimately could be worth $61 million.

But the Jets deal has to be considered worth $14.5 million less than its actual value, since that’s the amount of money Bell walked away from to obtain it.

The contract also doesn’t compare to the one Todd Gurley signed with the Los Angeles Rams last summer, a it's a four-year deal through the 2023 season worth up to $60 million with $45 million guaranteed. Gurley’s guaranteed money and average annual salary are the highest for any running back in NFL history.

Bell’s decision to sign with the woeful Jets was mocked by Deadspin, who announced the deal in a post with the headline “Le’Veon Bell Continues Self-Imposed NFL Exile By Signing With Jets.”

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