what a clusterfuck this bell brown shitshow is; like trying to keep your house and cash while divorcing crazy money hungry bitches .

No, it is not yet known what the transition tag will be for Bell. Don't assume anything. The franchise tag would be the same amount as the top 5 quarterbacks, some $25 million and Bell's team will argue that even the transition tag should be what he was to presumably have made last season, $14.544 million.

So, I think the NFL will come down on Bell's side and allow him to be transitioned at $14.544 million. We are currently only at $19 million in cap space.

19-14.5 gives us $4.5 million of cap space. Great!!!!

Again, great, give Bell that $14.544 transition tag, then maybe it takes a few days for Bell to sign an offer sheet that he is happy with, say a week goes by. Then the Steelers have 7 days to mull it over and decide if they are going to match it.

Hypothetically, 2 weeks could go by which in the current, modern NFL free agency is all important. So, maybe they decide the offer sheet is too much, to front heavy and they let him go. We recoup that money from the transition tag but now, 2 weeks have gone by and the first wave of free agency has concluded.

You could have had Bradly Roby but too bad he was already signed by somebody else.

You could have had say Ron Darby but again, he was already signed by some other team.

Could have had Landon Collins, but, yes, you guessed it, signed elsewhere.

The Steelers wasting time with Bell, in carrying forward this twisted soap opera, are shooting themselves in the foot in acquiring players that could help this defense.

If they don't build up money and are able to strike in the first day of free agency then they will never be able to sign top tier free agents.

Dicking around with Bell will only insure that we continue to sign the Jon Bostics, Morgan Burnetts of free agency.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

We have a winner.

The only reason they will tag Bell is if they want to keep him. If he does not get the offers he is expecting then he would do well to stay. The key to this is he signs the tender. It would be career suicide if he sits out another year.

This is stupid ass thinking by the FO. What makes you think the other players want this fuckhead back or would accept him back? Shit, our locker room is all fucked up as it is let alone bringing this fuckhead with an attitude back - and this goes for AB as well. The FO sure as hell meet with the team, otherwise, more shit will hit the fan and more years will be wasted for nothing. I can see it now, Bell takes an injury in week one of two, and sits out the season again - further pissing off guys who come in and work their asses off because they want to be here. The FO needs to shut the fuck up, move on, and Target quality players that can help our defense out cause that is the only thing keeping our team from #7. But, I'm not surprised they don't know this! What a bunch of fucking morons!

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.

Unless a deal is worked out with another team just don't do 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

DEFENSE! Clap clap, DEFENSE! Clap clap, DEFENSE!

The fact that this board is fixated on this probably tells us what the front office is fixated on. They should be freeing up cap space to sign some defensive all pros.

They should not be holding cap space hostage during g a potentially prolonged litigations about 9mil or 15mil.

I'm just sitting here watching the Grammy's and wondering where Le'veon's nominations are.

And they haven't done that, but could do that. Just like they haven't officially tagged Bell, but could. And you're still dodging the fact that the cap is fungible.

Again, I don't understand why your panties are bunched. You let emotion get in the way of logic - just admit you're wrong and move on. You know the cap, but you're spinning to push your agenda.

I know that cap pretty damn well, too. And there's nothing you've posted wrt this matter that I agree with.

I don't see what I am wrong about.

My whole point is that the Steelers should waste no further time with Bell.

Putting the transition tag on him only hinders you in the first days of free agency when all of the big free agent prospects are signed.

Even if they don't free up money, do the things that I want, that $19 million is enough to sign one big free agent.

For example, say they go after Ronald Darby, think he will be fine with his knee, and Philly does not franchise him. Say he is available and the Steelers offer him a 5 year, $60 million contract with a $20 million signing bonus. That might have a first year cap hit of $6-7 million depending on how they do the contract. CB Kyle Fuller of the Bears last season had a cap hit of $6.5 million on his $56 million contract.

But if the Steelers dick around with Bell, slap the transition tag on him and it is $14.5 million, then the team only has $4.5 million of available cap space.

That isn't enough money to sign Darby, or Collins to that huge 5 year $60 million deal.

The point you bring up that of course they would sign people to new deals free up money, the cap is fungible, yeah, but why do all of that for Bell??

You free up money like that you don't spend it on Bell. Any money we free up should be to pursue defensive players and sign our own ( Jesse James, Foster, Finney, Fort), fuck Bell.

We have the RB position in great shape, Conner and Samuels combined for 16 TDs last season, Bell never did that. Conner and Samuels are cheap labor and give us the ability to spend a massive amount of money elsewhere on the team. Signing Bell and keeping Bell makes no sense at all.

We will have to agree to disagree. I think Bell is unnecessary and a moot point. He has been replaced on the field and the money saved by letting him go will allow us to sign defensive free agents. It really is that simple.

I am reminded of that scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade involving the holy grail. The german blonde woman Elsa is reaching for the cup as the place is falling apart and Indy is trying to pull her up telling her to let it go. Then she falls to her death. Then Indy looks at the cup and he starts to reach for it too as he is hanging on to the ledge. His father Sean Connery is trying to pull him up and then tells him to let it go, saying Junior let it go.

Then he says Indiana, let it go. Indiana snaps out of it and his father pulls him up.

This is what the whole Bell situation is to me at this point. People trying desperately to get something out of Bell, this holy grail, draft picks whatever.

I am like Sean Connery, I can see the situation clearly for what it is and what is really important. I am the one using logic, not blinded by emotion or pride.

Let it go Kodiak, let it go.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Rooney has no plans to sign a big name free agent.

I agree the cap is fungible. However, if you want to add good players via FA, you simply cannot tie up 14.5mil on a guy that you WILL NOT retain, just for the sake of hoping to get a 2nd/3rd pick. That's just dumb economics IMO. Besides, what capologist would take on Bell's Signing Bonus incurred through matching a deal, for a 2nd or 3rd round pick?
Time to let Bell go and hope you get a 3rd or 4th in compensation next year. If we sign high level FA's that cause that compensation to go down - good. That means we bettered the team in March for a change.

I don't know how I can make it any more simple. When they extend Ben and a few others, they'll shift more of that money into 2020, creating the space to tag Bell in 2019. When Bell eventually rolls off, that money rolls over into 2020 to offset that shift.

It costs them nothing in terms of available money to tag Bell. Nothing. You're dead wrong. You're thinking about the cap as an inflexible, single year amount and that's just not how it works. I agree you should let it go.

Now, if you're arguing that's money they could otherwise spend [overspend], well that's just not how PIT has ever operated. They'll temporarily create the space to carry the tag temporarily, and it will have absolutely no impact on their ability to sign FA's.

They will only sign Bell to a transition tag if he agrees to it. He must sign the tag for anything to happen. Although he would be stupid on an epic scale to not sign it I can't put anything past him and is idiot agent.

And I of course think you are dead wrong. Last offseason we had $23.25 million tied up in two players and neither one of them played a down of football for us in 2018. Bell and Shazier. That $23.2 million was in limbo, it was on the books and we could not play in free agency and go after top talent because of it. Now, yes, we got the money for Bell back and it rolled over to 2019 but the point remains that we had to settle for Jon Bostic instead of signing a Tahir Whitehead or Anthony Hitchens.

Tying up $14.544 million in Bell again is just sheer stupidity and will have the same outcome again. Meaning it will hinder us in the first week of free agency when all of the top players are signed. That is money that could be used to sign a big defensive free agent or two. Why you want to spin it otherwise is beyond me.

And again, I have to remind you that they have done nothing to sign or extend anybody, there is no money being shifted, no money being freed up. If all we have is $19 million and the Steelers do their typical extensions in August then that does not help us in free agency does it??

So, again, taking $14.5 million of $19 million, transition tagging Bell and leaving the team with $4.5 million at the start of free agency does what exactly?? That really leaves you very little money to sign some of the other key players like Jesse James, Ramon Foster, BJ Finney.

The differences in this argument, is that I am talking about what the Steelers current situation is and you are talking about what it might be if they extend this player, or that player, if they free up money, etc. But they haven't done any of that yet, and they may not do any of that, might not do anything until August.

I have made many posts in other threads how the Steelers could do this or that and free up $50 million, but it is all make believe. I don't really expect them to do any of that!!!

Starting today through 4 p.m. March 5th, teams can implement the franchise/transition tag on one of their impending free agents. Per the CBA, the Steelers can use the franchise tag on Bell a third time, but forget about that happening and focus more on the transition tag.

Do the Steelers transition tag Bell in an attempt to keep him in Pittsburgh?

Do they attempt a gentlemen's agreement with him/interested team behind closed doors and Bell joins that other team?

Precisely.

Which is why I’m not even paying attention to what their cap space is or isn’t.

Art II has goven zero indication he’ll massively change the way the Steelers do business. He has publicly said the Steelers “just missed” the playoffs, thus giving no indication he thinks major changes are in order.

Yinz all who think we’ll be players in FA are just setting yourselves up to be disappointed again.

An annual SteelerFury offseason ritual. Happens every year. There are posters that insist this will be the year the Steelers become huge players in the FA game...then get pissed off when it’s “we do what we do” business as usual.
Why?

Well the team has been at or over the cap this time of year for about a decade. This year there is room with Bell last year and this year. Different scenario

I'm betting they tag Bell again, sign a couple scrap heapers, then sign one mid level FA to a safe contract with little bonus/mostly salary. Hopefully they can get someone else to offer the bastard a contract he'll sign.

Me too, I want them back, I'm sicker and have worse character and am more selfish than either of them, so they don't bother me.

I'll be pissed if they trade AB, unless it's for a high #1 pick, It's stupid to trade him for a mid round pick and a huge cap hit, If that's what I get, I'd rather keep him on the roster, demand that he report, if not, suspend him and don't pay him, I'd rather get nothing but have the satisfaction of blocking him from getting his freedom which is what he wants. Just out of SPITE.

Well, they signed Haden, didn't they? I realize Bostic isn't anything earth shattering, but he was available and did an acceptable job considering the circumstances.

And as far as Art, why would he announce to the rest of the league a desire for FA acquisitions? I'd rather do it stealthily. Information is power. He's just giving his leverage away by making proclamations like that.

Further, the Rooney's have pride in their family and organization. Why wouldn't he say they "just missed" the PS? They did, just miss the playoffs. Would you hold a presser at the end of a disappointing year and say publicly that Tomlin fucked up, or whoever, and that massive changes need to be made? That's just stupid. Everybody wants the team to keep their players' dirty laundry indoors, within the organization and team, yet everybody wants Art to slam his own hires and decision making publicly? Nobody here would do that, despite the fact they hang on every word he says, ready to ridicule and criticize his management style. And as to him not knowing anything about football? He might not be as football savvy as others, but he's not stupid. It's been in his family his whole life.

Just another perspective.

Exactly. It’s not Like they haven’t been active in FA. They’ve brought in people, some pan out better than others and this year is completely different financially. It’ll be interesting to see how it pans out but people saying we’ll or we do nothing in FA are delusional.

If people watched Bostic and thought that was "an acceptable job," I'm not sure what I can say. That was not acceptable.