In the last couple of months, there has been plenty of scrutiny on the continued holdout by Pittsburgh Steelers star running back Le'Veon Bell that has drawn plenty of feedback around the league.
The latest chime in is Hall of Famer Terrell Davis, who told TMZ Sports that if he was in Bell's shoes he would have just signed the franchise tag and played through it without holding out. (h/t Bryan Deardo of 247 Sports)
“I never thought he should have held out, but that’s just me,” said Davis, who is currently an analyst for NFL Network. “He’s gotta do what he’s gotta do. I can’t fault anybody for trying to get more money and doing what they feel is right. He chose to do that, so I suppose what he does. But if it was me, I would have signed that franchise tag.”
Bell's situation is unique in a way that this is the second straight year that has been unable to work out a long-term deal with the team. There is some strong interest on both sides, but the Steelers were unwilling to commit to giving him the guaranteed money in a deal that he was looking to land. Bell had put himself in the position get that offer after yet another highly productive campaign last season.
This has led to the 26-year-old putting forth a strong stance of holding out in order to avoid being overused once again with the increased risk of injury without the security of a long-term contract in place. The fact of the matter is that Bell is a highly utilized piece of the offense that saw him surpass 400 touches with his involvement in both running and passing game. This has put him in a tough spot as he doesn't want to risk suffering an injury within that huge responsibility.
It is a matter that has already had a major impact around the league with teams like the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals agreeing to long-term extensions with their respective star running backs in Todd Gurley and David Johnson. This is simply a matter of opinion from Davis, but it is clear that Bell has a clear plan of action to make sure he gets to next offseason where he can finally cash in on all his work on the field for the lucrative contract that he believes he deserves.