Le’Veon Bell and Kirk Cousins have two things in common: They both played their college football at Michigan State and they both want to make a lot of money in the NFL.
After signing a groundbreaking fully guaranteed contract with the Vikings this offseason as a free agent, Cousins has accomplished the latter. His former teammate? Not so much – at least not yet.
Franchised for the second year in a row by the Steelers, Bell is now faced with the same decision Cousins had to make a year ago as a member of the Redskins: Play or hold out.
If he plays under the tag, Bell is set to make a one-year salary of $14.56 million and become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The downside is he could get injured, making his chance of earning a big payday as a free agent non-existent.
Last year, Cousins decided to play under the tag and bet that he’d excel on the field as well as stay healthy. That strategy obviously worked out, as he landed an $84 million deal and has the opportunity to hit the market again in three years.
Bell may choose to follow his former teammate’s lead and gamble on himself this year.
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