Last offseason, Le'Veon Bell tweeted $60 million would not be enough to coax him into playing for the Jets. He's since deleted that from his Twitter feed. And for good reason.
He wound up doing it for four years at $52.5 million, per Adam Schefter.
Bell's market just wasn't what the 27-year-old running back thought it would be after sitting out an entire season.
The deal is less than the reported $70-million dollar, five-year offer the Steelers made to Bell last year in their final negotiations after placing a franchise tag on Bell for the second-consecutive season. The deal would have paid him $30 million over the first two seasons and $45 million through three years.
So ends the time in Pittsburgh for a player whose 128.9 yards from scrimmage per game are the most in NFL history for a player who has appeared in at least 50 games.
Bell joined the Steelers as a second-round draft pick in 2013 out of Michigan State and was quickly established as the team's starter. But he suffered a foot injury in training camp and missed the team's first three games as the Steelers began the season 0-4.
He finished that season with 1,259 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns, setting the stage for a breakout year in 2014.
Bell rushed for 1,361 yards and eight touchdowns and caught 83 passes for another 854 yards and three scores, setting a team record with 2,215 yards from scrimmage while earning All-Pro status.
But he suffered a sprained knee in the team's regular season finale against the Bengals after being hit low on a reception by safety Reggie Nelson. Without Bell, the Steelers were bounced in a Wildcard playoff game by the Ravens.
Bell also had his first run with the league's substance abuse policy that year after being found with marijuana in his vehicle during a traffic stop on McKnight Road. That drew him a two-game suspension to open the 2015 season.
After serving his suspension, Bell returned in Week 3 and helped the Steelers survive an injury to Ben Roethlisberger's knee that week in a game in St. Louis.
Roethlisberger returned four weeks later for a game against Cincinnati, but Bell suffered a torn MCL while being taken to the ground by linebacker Vontaze Burfict, ending his season after just six games with 556 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
Bell was again suspended by the NFL for violation of the league's substance abuse policy for missing multiple drug tests while rehabbing. He appealed and his suspension was lowered from four games to three.
Bell appeared in 12 games that season -- being held out of the regular season finale by Mike Tomlin -- and put together one of the best stretches of football for a running back in NFL history.
He finished with 1,268 yards and seven scores while also catching 75 passes for 616 yards and two touchdowns. But it was his play in the second half and playoffs that was truly special.
From Week 9 on that season, Bell averaged 175 total yards per game in the regular season. He then turned things up in the playoffs, setting team postseason rushing records in back-to-back wins against Miami and Kansas City with 167 and then 170 yards rushing, respectively.
Bell, however, suffered a groin injury in the win over the Chiefs and left the team's AFC Championship loss at New England the following week after just six carries for 20 yards.
The Steelers placed the franchise tag on Bell after that season, guaranteeing him $12.1 million in salary if they could not work out a long-term contract. The Steelers made an offer that would have made Bell the league's highest-paid running back on a deal that averaged more than $12 million per season and would have paid him $30 million in the first two seasons.
Bell skipped the entire offseason and training camp, showing up a week before the start of the regular season and signing his franchise contract. After a slow start, he finished with 1,291 rushing yards and 85 receptions -- a team-record for a running back -- for 661 yards as the Steelers went 13-3.
But the Steelers were knocked out of the playoffs in a stunning 45-42 loss to the Jaguars, with Bell scoring a touchdown on what would be his final touch in a Steelers uniform.
The Steelers again placed the franchise tag on Bell in the offseason and began working on a new deal, this one worth as much as $14 million per year, a number just under the $14.5 million he was guaranteed under the franchise tag.
Bell again balked at the offer and skipped the entire offseason and training camp.
After negotiations broke off by the league-mandated mid-July deadline, Bell and his agent Adisi Bakari made it sound as if it would be business as usual and Bell would report to the Steelers at the start of the season, just as he had in 2017.
A flurry of big-money signings right before the season began seemed to change Bell's mind, much to the chagrin of his teammates, who ripped him when he didn't show up.
Bell's holdout turned into a season-long affair, but allowed for the emergence of James Conner in his absence. Conner earned a Pro Bowl bid in 2018.
Bell ends his career with the Steelers with 5,336 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns and 312 receptions for 2,660 yards and another seven scores. His rushing total is fourth on the team's all-time list.
LOLLEY'S VIEW
So, Bell laughed at the Jets last season and sat out a year to take less money than the Steelers were offering. Is anyone really surprised?
But I'll say this about Bell: At least he was honorable about the situation. He could have done what James Harrison advised — showed up, signed his franchise tender and then faked an injury. He could have pulled an Antonio Brown and forced his way out of town.
He didn't. He bet on himself, and he lost in this case.
That's life.
