Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell has admitted that he was petty for leaving the franchise during an infamous contract dispute over guarantees.
Bell, 31, spent five years playing in Pennsylvania after being selected by the Steelers with pick 48 in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. During that spell, the Michigan State product made three All-Pro teams and was a three-time Pro Bowler.
Problems arose as Bell's rookie contract ended, and the running back sought guarantees that Pittsburgh were unwilling to grant. The ensuing standoff saw the Reynoldsburg, Ohio native holdout for the entire 2018 season after having the franchise tag placed on him for a second straight year before becoming a free agent the following offseason.
And he got what he wanted. Bell became the second-highest-paid running back in the league by signing a four-year, $52.5 million contract with the New York Jets, which guaranteed him $35 million.
The switch was unsuccessful, though, with Bell being released midway through his second season on the team and ending up on the Kansas City Chiefs. That stint only lasted for the remainder of that year before again moving on.
He then split the 2021 season between the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and, after being released by the Bucs, Bell sat out last season to pursue a professional boxing career. Now still a free agent and not officially retired, Bell has aired his regrets about leaving Pittsburgh.
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"Yeah, it was a little petty, the little guarantee stuff," Bell said of the 2018 season contract standoff and holdout when speaking on the Steel Here podcast via NFL.com. "I'm thinking like, damn, could I have really just ate it? Yeah, I probably could've. Probably could've really ate it.
"We kept going back and forth. It literally was the guarantee. They weren't budging off of it, and I wasn't budging off of it.
"I didn't want to leave Pittsburgh. At the end of the day, that's where I was at. That's where I got drafted at. Especially after going to different teams and seeing how it is, when a team has their guy, you're their guy. I was Pittsburgh's guy."
Bell is now holding out again, but this time for a return to Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania with the Steelers. "The day when I do retire, it's gonna be with Pittsburgh. Like, I'm trying to retire with Pittsburgh. But before I do that, I might be like, 'Hey, let me get a couple carries in the preseason so I can show you all something.'
"With the Steelers, I would do the little preseason, like alright, boom boom, but I would not do that anywhere else. Because I don't even think about playing, it literally would only be in Pittsburgh.
"Pittsburgh is where I'll retire, you know what I'm saying, that's just it. Because I already been other places. It's not Pittsburgh."
