Reasons NOT to sign Le'Veon Bell, in my personal order of significance:
1. Not convinced that he's as effective as his reputation suggests - his last season's production has been exceeded by the replacement RBs that Pittsburgh has used (Conner, Samuels).
2. Might be on the downside of his career - RBs often peak at age 25 or younger.
3. Price - is the upgrade over Mack worth the increased price that Bell would command? I know we have lots of cap space, but I still believe its important to practice financial responsibility. Perhaps that money is better directed at our own existing players.
4. Two time substance abuse violator
5. Holdout - I continue to be concerned about his decision to holdout this season, and his late season snipes at the Steelers.
Incidentally, here's a four part series of articles from Behind the Steel Curtain which attempt to address many of these issues (among several others), and you can judge for yourself whether the arguments are convincing:
Part 1
https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.co...umors-steelers
Part 2
https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.co...nchise-tag-nfl
Part 3
https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.co...-franchise-tag
Part 4
https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.co...nfl-free-agent
I will say its kind of funny to read the author's comment (written in April) regarding Bell's then-recent threat to sit out the season and not sign the franchise tag - "Come on folks, who actually believed this frustrated bluster? Bell’s not missing out on $900,000 per game, let alone $14.5 million for the entire season."