Is Bell’s Contract Holdout Bad for Football?

Holding out for big-money contracts may usher in a “Moneyball” era in pro football.  

Unless you’ve been living under a rock or just don’t follow the NFL news, then you’ve heard about Le’Veon Bell’s contract holdout. The Steelers’ running back has chosen not to re-sign despite being franchise-tagged.

Let’s make this clear: contract holdouts aren’t new in the NFL. Joey Bosa and Jamarcus Russell held out as did Aaron Donald. But Bell’s holdout is different.

Bell’s holdout has been greeted with disdain by some Steelers’ players. Offensive lineman Ramon Foster and Maurkice Pouncey have called out Bell for not re-signing, Foster said: “Here’s a guy who doesn’t give a damn, I guess we’ll treat it as such. I just hate that it came to this.” Pouncey asked: “Why play hide and seek? Just man up and tell us what you’re going to do.”

Perhaps Ramon Foster put it best: “Basically, if you’re not all on the same page, you can lose to anybody, anywhere, at any time. We have a lot of talent, and at some point, that talent’s not all going to be together anymore, so you do feel that urgency.”

Those words rang true for the Steelers in Week 1, a 21-21 tie against the Browns.

Courtesy: Zimbio.com

What kind of example is Bell setting by holding out for such a large contract? If previous holdouts offer lessons, then the answer is–not a good one.

For perspective, let’s look at the Jamarcus Russell holdout. Russell didn’t sign with the Raiders until after Week 1 of the regular season. Russell, a good collegiate player, was an unproven NFL commodity. Still, though, the Raiders signed the former LSU Quarterback to what was, at the time, the largest rookie contract in NFL history.

The outcome: Russell was an NFL bust.

In an era where more stars want more and more money, it’s likely that we’ll see more and more holdouts. That would be bad for the NFL–a league that has enough problems as it is.

In fact, some NFL teams could end up like the Oakland A’s in Moneyball? The storyline goes like this…. The Athletics lost major players to free agency and were forced to use players they could get on a tight budget. Those players turned out to be good, and the team played deep into the playoffs.

Why bring up this example? Well, enter James Conner, an unheralded running back out of Pitt. He’s the guy who replaced Bell last week.

How did he do? His performance was Bell-like with nearly 200 combined yards (running and catching) and two touchdowns.

If Conner can continue putting up stats like that, then there might be a Moneyball story in the NFL–if Pittsburgh can make the playoffs after losing a big piece of the offense.