Every player is greedy. That 5yr 70 mil contract sounds great to a lot of people but he knew he wasn't going to see a majority of it. I didn't expect him to actually not sign the FT and lose out on the 14 mil.
The guarantees in it weren't high. Right or wrong, for his attitude, they used him as a #1 RB and as the #2 option in the passing game. He wanted to get guaranteed money cause until the contracts become fully guaranteed, that's the only part that is guaranteed to hit his bank account. People get thrown off by total salary, but it's a mirage and very few players actually play out their extensions.
Even the Antonio Brown extension the Steelers gave out was low in actual guarantees. The only reason why the Steelers ate 21 in dead cap was that they restructured his deal last offseason. They didn't expect him to become the #1 diva and want out cause Ben said some mean things to him.
He was going to get 10 mil at signing. The instant pen hit paper. By the first snap he took he’d be looking at a cool 21-22 mil guaranteed. Come the start of his second season after the deal was signed its up to 33 mil. By the third, 45 total.
Freeman was the highest paid RB at the time of that offer, making 8 mil a year. They offered bell 14-15.
Now I get that he wants guaranteed money, but the only way he wasn’t getting it was if the Steelers cut him before the start of the league year during the offseason. They’d do that for one of a couple reasons, attitude or production(a lack there of) at which point he’d be free to negotiate a deal for new guarantees as he’s doing now.
So he wants the big money at signing. Is that because he himself doesn’t think he’d maintain production? The rolling guarantees structure like that is almost always protected va injury, so he wasn’t risking losing it for an injury.
It’s not that different from Todd Gurleys deal.
Except he got 21 at signing.
He still will only collect the full 45 in guarantees after the third day of the 2020 league year. So the third season after signing his contract. EXACTLY THE SAME AS BELLS.