From CBS sports:
We can probably all agree that $70 million is a lot of money, but apparently, it wasn't enough to get to sign a new deal in Pittsburgh.
According , the made one final offer to Bell on Monday, just hours before the 's 4 p.m. ET deadline for teams to negotiate a new contract with their franchise player. The offer from the Steelers was worth a total of $70 million over five years (or $14 million per season). Although the offer would have given Bell the largest multi-year contract of any running back in the NFL, he turned it down, and one reason he likely did that, is because it was nowhere near his asking price, which was .
One other reason Bell might have turned the deal down is because it apparently wasn't loaded with any substantial guarantees. According 's Ian Rapoport, the contract included $33 million in guaranteed money, which was going to be paid out over the first two years. Rapoport also noted that the first three years of the deal would pay out $45 million (or $15 million per season), but didn't note if all of that money was guaranteed. As for the final two years of the deal, it seems that Bell had no guaranteed money. Of course, none of this matters now, since Bell didn't take the offer.
I would say 70 million was more than fair to pay a talented but selfish toxic presence on any team and the bum turned it down...this was an act from God on high. If he played for Belichik, he would have been gone years ago, probably after the second drug suspension.
Smart teams invest money into O-line and pass rusher - not pay a RB 14 million a year
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