Could Lamar Jackson Be Making The Same Mistake As Former Steelers' RB Le'Veon Bell?

The internet erupted and Pittsburgh Steelers fans rejoiced on Monday when Baltimore Ravens' quarterback Lamar Jackson announced that he had requested a trade. Jackson, the quarterback out of Louisville, has been a force for Baltimore since taking over for Joe Flacco in 2018. The young quarterback took the league by storm in his second season and won the league MVP on a unanimous vote, becoming the only player to accomplish that feat other than Tom Brady.

The Steelers have been fortunate to leave most contract-related drama in 2018 with Le’Veon Bell and his infamous hold-out. Bell was the first-string running back and a crucial component of the “Killer B’s,” a group of offensive weapons for the Steelers consisting of Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Bell and Chris Boswell. The running back dominated the league from 2014 through 2017. Bell rushed for over 1,260 yards in 2014, 2016 and 2017.

It made sense when Bell wanted to be valued accordingly coming off of his rookie contract, however, the Steelers weren’t prepared to give Bell the record-breaking contract that he desired. Bell was placed on the franchise tag during the 2017 season, which would ultimately be his last in black and gold. Following yet another impressive season, the Steelers worked to come to an agreement with the running back, but Bell still felt undervalued. Once again, this resulted in the franchise tag in 2018. This is when the running back had enough. Bell held out for the entirety of the season, costing him $14.4 million in guaranteed money.

The Killer B’s Break Up

Following the 2018 holdout, it was clear that Bell would be heading elsewhere. Ultimately, he landed with the New York Jets on a four-year $52.5 million deal. Though Steelers fans were crushed, it’s safe to say that Pittsburgh won the breakup. While Bell didn’t live up to expectations and joined the Kansas City Chiefs after two seasons, James Conner stepped up to the plate in Pittsburgh. After jumping from team to team, including a stint with the Ravens, Bell finally retired and is now pursuing a boxing career.

AFC North Rival Deals With A Similar Situation

Now that Bell's contract disputes are in the rearview mirror, the Steelers sit back and watch as the Ravens are dealing with similar issues. Tim Hasselback, a former NFL quarterback, has compared the two situations. 

"Lamar Jackson is a great player. He appears to be a bad businessman. That's all I can really say. I look at this situation, it reminds me a little bit of Le'Veon Bell. Bell had the franchise tag placed on him. The Steelers did it again a second year."

Hasselback went on to talk about how this situation could hurt Jackson in the future.

"The moral of the story for Le'Veon Bell was he cost himself well over $10 million by doing that. Like, it just was a bad business decision. I get it that guys don't like writing checks to their agents. But in Lamar's situation, he could clearly negotiate down the percentage."

Hasselback brought up what many Ravens fans have complained about for months and that's the fact that Jackson doesn't have an agent. Many think that this situation could've been avoided entirely if Jackson and his mom weren't representing themselves. After months of speculation, Jackson announced Monday that he had requested a trade from the franchise, dating back to March 2nd.

Now that Jackson has gone public with his desire to go to a different team, it'll be interesting to watch how it unfolds. What do you think SteelerNation, is Jackson making the same mistake as Bell did? Sound off in the comments below.

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