LeVeon Bell has come back to Steelers camp as promised, and he has met the September 1St deadline that he set for himself. I have to ask why he even held out if he was not willing to hold out long enough to get a deal done. Did he get a new contract? Did I miss something? What was his point? The Steelers never even thought of giving him a new deal, but he came back anyways. This is one of those situations where I have to wonder if the holdout was even worth it.
Bell must have wanted to prove his point
I have to assume that LeVeon Bell believes that he proved his point by staying out of camp until he said that he would come back.
I have no idea what the end-game is when he stays out of camp, does not get his new contract, and comes back without any fanfare. There are many people who poke the bear when they stay out of camp, but they usually come back to some kind of understanding with their team. I have no idea if Bell has come to an understanding with the Steelers, and I have no idea if it even matters to him. They could reach an agreement without telling us, or they may have given each other a nod in the hallway.
They needed Bell
The Steelers needed to have Bell on the team because he makes their offense better. They need to have a running back that other defenses will respect because they need a way to open up the passing game.
Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant need help getting open, and having a better running back makes a difference that cannot be accurately measured.
I suppose he thinks they can work it out later
I feel confused because I have to assume that Bell thinks that he will work something out with the Steelers before the end of this season.
Some sort of agreement must be in the works that will allow them to convert his current contract into something that will be much larger. He wants to be paid better given his production, but I do not know if he got that guarantee today. I would not have held out without getting my money, but maybe there was a handshake we did not see.
I feel as though the Steelers are dodging us in the media because they never give us a clear indication of whether they are being stoic or being private. Those two things look the same, but they sound different behind closed doors.
Is there a rift in the locker room?
I doubt it. I think NFL players know that you have to do what you have to do. They are rarely judgmental about other people's money, but I bet they are happy to have Bell back so that they can get to work.
