One-on-One: Who has more to prove, Antonio Brown or Le'Veon Bell?

Yardbarker NFL writers Michael Tunison and Chris Mueller address some of the hottest issues in the league. This week's topic: Which former Steeler has more to prove in 2019 on his new team, Antonio Brown or Le'Veon Bell?

Mueller: It isn't a stretch to say that the Pittsburgh Steelers were the epicenter of the NFL world in 2018, despite not qualifying for the playoffs. Most of the attention on the black and gold focused on Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell. While Roethlisberger remains under center in Pittsburgh, and just inked a lucrative contract extension, Brown (Raiders) and Bell (Jets) find themselves with new teams, and plenty to prove -- and gain.

Bell may have come out the financial loser in his deal with the Jets, at least compared to what the Steelers were offering, and Adam Gase may not have wanted him in the first place. But Brown is the former Steeler who has the most to prove and to gain in 2019.

The NFL is a quarterback league, so Brown must prove that he was the more important part of his partnership with Roethlisberger. Brown's detractors said that he demanded the ball too much, that he was too hard to please, and that he occasionally ran the wrong routes. They also trotted out the old "distraction" term and slapped it on just about everything he did away from the field.

If he makes beautiful music with Derek Carr, and emerges as a leader in what could be a tumultuous Raiders' locker room, not only will Brown force critics to cast a wary eye toward Roethlisberger, he'll also cement his status as, at worst, a top-five receiver of all time. A bad year would, fairly or not, give Brown's space to undercut his work in Pittsburgh, to chalk it all up to his uniquely talented quarterback. A great year? Silence, glorious silence from the haters.

Here's another, bigger question pertaining to both players: How fair is it to either player to view this season as a "prove-it" year for them? 

Tunison: Bell and Brown are standout cases of players using what limited power they have to dictate their circumstances and maximize their earnings. It's true that Brown can do more than Bell to cement his legacy as an all-time great in 2019, though the running back has quite a bit on the line when it comes to justifying his sitting out a season.

Given the money he lost by not playing, Bell might have cost himself considerably in 2018, though it's hard to say for sure. Basically he turned down $33 million in guarantees over two years from the Steelers in summer 2018 to accept $35 million in guarantees from the Jets over two years in spring 2019. No one will ever know whether he might have suffered a serious injury, but on paper it doesn't look great. Losing a full year in your prime for an extra $2 million in guarantees certainly doesn't seem worth it for a top-tier back, so not only is there pressure for Bell to perform for a head coach who reportedly didn't want him, and had enough power to possibly force out the GM, but he has to remain valuable enough to get into the non-guaranteed years of his deal, or at least have some leverage if he goes back into the free agent market in 2021.

There's also extra scorn being heaped on Bell for, unlike Brown, not playing this situation quite as cannily. Coming out and having a lackluster season is only going to compound that derision. He has his money locked down for 2019 and 2020, but a bad year will allow a decidedly team-friendly NFL media corps to bring out the knives and help ensure this is the last significant payday he gets.

Mueller: I can understand, if not agree with, fans siding with ownership when a player and a team have a dispute, contractual or otherwise. Their interests are generally aligned in that sort of situation. The media tearing down a player, though, is something I'll never understand. 

The worm turned for Brown with the Pittsburgh fans, and with some media, and it turned in spectacular fashion. If you don't believe me, behold the results of this poll. He's not blameless in that sense, either, because he called the most respected beat writer in town a racist, and made a Twitter threat toward The Undefeated's Jesse Washington, who wrote an unfavorable piece juxtaposing Brown's social media presence with his less-than-perfect real-life persona. 

Unlike Bell, Brown got his money. He had no guaranteed cash remaining on his Steelers contract, yet scorched the earth and found $31 million in guarantees in Oakland. He won the most important part of his battle. Given his inability to stay silent on social media since his departure, that wasn't enough for Brown. He took shots at JuJu Smith-Schuster and Roethlisberger on Twitter, and hasn't displayed an ability to leave Pittsburgh in the rear-view mirror.

His story won't just be told on the field, it will be told on the Internet. The best revenge is living well, and in this case that applies both on and off the field. If Brown is still putting up "best in the NFL" numbers at wide receiver this season, Oakland turns into a winner, and he lets the past stay in the past, he will have won a major victory over his former quarterback and former team. 

Sounds like a lot on the line to me.

Tunison: Well, the money has already become more important to Bell since women are apparently making off with his jewelry to the tune of a half-million dollars. I agree that Brown has done more personal provocation in recent months, and that ups the bragging rights, drip or drown.

But surely there must be something to be said for helping make the Jets a consequential team for the first time in a decade. Yes, it's been a while since the Raiders have been a true contender, but at least they made the playoffs with Derek Carr a few seasons ago. The last time the Jets made the playoffs was 2010. Surely, Tom Brady is bound to retire one of these years, and what a feat it would be to one-up him one last time.

Mueller: Somehow carrying Gang Green to a division title over Touchdown Tom and company would be an incredible feat, and already put Bell ahead of anything the Steelers have done against the Patriots since Brady came into the league.

 If each man’s season is, to one degree or another, about sticking it to Pittsburgh, Bell’s chance to get meaningful victories over Brady trumps any opportunity Brown has, short of him carrying Oakland to one of the unlikeliest Super Bowls ever. The interesting thing about both situations, and it’s one rarely seen in the league, is that each player is departing a situation that saw them playing with a future Hall of Famer under center, such that their production and perceived greatness was inherently tied to him. Reasonable minds can differ on which player has more to prove or gain this season and beyond, but Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown both have the chance to write a second act that defines them in a way totally separate from their time with Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers, for better or worse.