Kodiak wrote:
I keep telling you, if they are planning to trade him the tag value doesn't matter. They will create the space to carry that tag temporarily by shifting money into 2020 with extension to Ben and one or two others. Colbert would have done his homework - he's not going to tag Bell if there's any realistic shot of an appeal making that number $25M.
The tag number will have 0 impact on their money available to sign someone. I know you understand the cap, so I don't understand why you continue to think of the cap in terms of a single year when that isn't how they manage it.
Oh, I do know the cap, and yes, I have pointed out how the Steelers can give 4 extensions and cut two players and be almost $50 million under the cap. But here we are Feb 10th and they have done no such moves yet. Are they going to do anything before free agency begins??? Right now all you can go by is that the Steelers are $19 million under the cap. And as I said the transition tag might be $14.5 million, Bell and his agent said at the end of the season that they would fight over the value of that tag. That is the cold hard reality right now.
But as others have pointed out, it is nuts to transition tag him and trade him, makes no sense.
So, the Steelers match say a 4 year $60 million contract from the Houston Texans for Bell. In that contract he has $30 million guaranteed, say $25 million of that is a signing bonus. Not an unreasonable contract and one that Bell would probably love, it is just that bit more than Gurley and satisfies his ego and his place atop the RBs.
Now if the Steelers turned around traded Bell to the Texans or any team for that matter, the signing bonus is not going anywhere, the new team is not taking on that $25 million. It is similar to how when we trade Antonio Brown, the new team does not have to take any of his signing bonus, or the restructured bonuses that we have done with him. No, they are just due to take on the remainder of his 3 year, $39 million contract.
If the Steelers sign that offer sheet and then find a team to trade him to, they have to take a $25 million cap hit. The new team, be it the Texans, or whoever would have to pay Bell only the remainder of the contract, 4 years, $35 million.
Yeah, the Steelers can free up a lot of money this offseason, extend Ben, Joe Haden, Pouncey, etc, free up $50 million, but Kodiak you are fine with Bell gobbling up $25 million of that?? Really?? You see how stupid that is??
Now, surely, the Steelers would spread that cap hit over two seasons presumably, so he would only count $12.5 million this year and then $12.5 million for next year, but that is still messed up man.
There is no way to win this, they have to just let him go