NEWS » The decision to sit out was a calculated one

After splurging on a couple of offensive players since early Sunday morning JuJu Smith-Schuster Jersey White , the Raiders apparently won’t be completing the trifecta.Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports that the Raiders aren’t likely to pursue running back Le'Veon Bell. The decision, per Mortensen, has less to do with salary cap issues and more to do with cash. As in the Raiders lack the cash to make it happen.It seems odd, given that the didn’t lack the cash to commit nearly $68 million in fully guaranteed money to receiver Antonio Brown and tackle Trent Brown. But the question of whether owner Mark Davis enjoys the same liquidity as his colleagues has been a consistent issue for the Raiders in recent years. Whether that changes after they move to Las Vegas remains to be seen.Whatever the plan, if the Steelers want Bell they presumably won’t be waiting to execute it. As evidenced by the pursuit of Trent Brown, it began immediately at noon ET on Monday . . . if not earlier. Le’Veon Bell reflects back on his decision to sit out the 2018 season, and how he was close to returning to the team."The Pittsburgh Steelers have been through so much turmoil the past few months, fans had forgotten about Le’Veon Bell. You know, the player fans openly despised as he elected to sit out the 2018 season rather than re-join his teammates to play under the franchise tag.Remember the comments made by his then offensive line? Remember the team raiding his locker? Yeah https://www.thesteelerslockerroom.com/authentic-juju-smith-schuster-jersey , it was bad. Even though Antonio Brown has dominated the headlines over the last month or so, it was Bell was the original Public Enemy No. 1 for the black-and-gold faithful. As a member of the New York Jets now, Bell was able to sit back and reflect on the year that was, his decision to sit out and more.Jeremy Fowler of ESPN got the scoop, and delivered a tremendous article, but the one head-scratching aspect of the entire situation was how Bell and his agent didn’t completely understand how the franchise tag worked under the NFL and NFLPA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Bell spoke about how he, among others in the media, believed he would have to report by Week 10 to accrue a season and hit free agency in 2019. But due to him being a vested veteran that wasn’t the case. How did Bell find out? No, not from his agent Womens James Conner Jersey , but from social media. Fowler writes:Before Bell realized this, he was ready to go back to the team. He had flown back to Pittsburgh, was seen playing pickup basketball at a local gym, and was ready to re-join his teammates.Until he didn’t. and although many are looking at Bell’s new contract with the Jets and wondering why he didn’t just accept one of the two offers the Steelers had offered him, it was because of the guarantees within the deal which is what he longed for.Whether it was guaranteed money, years in the contract or anything else, Bell will look back on his time in Pittsburgh, the team who drafted him in the second round out of Michigan State T. J. Watt Jersey , fondly.The sting of Bell’s absence wasn’t felt much in 2018 due to the emergence of James Conner, and to an extent Jaylen Samuels, within the team’s offense. While Bell was sitting on the couch, Conner was putting a product on the field making fans wonder, “Le’Veon who?”Bell now continues his NFL life with the New York Jets, and the Steelers will move on with Conner and Samuels, but you will always wonder what could have been between Bell and the Steelers, had the two sides been able to come to terms on a new deal.