At this point, Le’Veon Bell’s reputation in Pittsburgh is basically dead. Even if the fans, and the team, want him on the field, they don’t want his personality.
The NFL is a business, though, which means Bell is going to get his money. The franchise tag means nothing right now, and despite Bell’s constant complaints about getting paid, the Steelers are doing their part in finding funds for his needs.
Brown’s restructured contract didn’t hurt him. Yes, he gave Pittsburgh $9.7 million in cap space, but he also awarded himself more guaranteed money.
What this did was give Pittsburgh enough money to sign Bell.