Super Bowl Domination

Chapter 568 Strategic Alliance
The memory does not need to be traced back too far, that is, in September and October last year, Levi suddenly appeared, and the league strongly supported him, which pushed this rookie to the forefront in one fell swoop, causing many controversies, envious and jealous eyes, and many disdainful and exclusion——

The status in the industry is not achieved through hype, nor is it gained through political correctness. It is earned through hard work in one game after another.

In a blink of an eye, the Super Bowl came to an end and the offseason began. Levi once again stood under the spotlight, but he could clearly feel the change in the atmosphere of the league. Whether it was cheering for Bale or the Forbes list, the voices of approval and recognition continued to rise.

This means that Levi has finally earned a place for himself through practical actions.

It also means that next season Levi will have no rookie bonus and no dark horse advantage. All opponents will give him the highest standard of treatment to fight against him, and even give him tactical attention. The real test has just begun.

Countless rookies have to face this hurdle. In their rookie season, they rely on their opponents' unfamiliarity and contempt to gain an advantage and fully display their talents. But when they enter their sophomore year, their opponents have already prepared and made targeted adjustments. These young people find that the situation is different from what they imagined, and they encounter bottlenecks one after another, and their performance on the field declines significantly.

This is the "Rookie Wall".

So, is Levi's rookie wall coming?

A new challenge begins.

Meanwhile, off-season training, adjustments, and running-in are still proceeding in an orderly manner.

After the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs experienced the transfer of their main quarterback Smith, they quickly calmed down and completed the quarterback handover step by step. With the help of Levi, the offensive team quickly got into the state, announcing the beginning of the Mahomes era.

On the other side, the league's offseason news is still buzzing and the turmoil cannot be stopped.

Negotiations between two of the league's top superstars and their teams have both reached a deadlock, one is Bell and the other is Green Bay Packers quarterback Rogers.

Unlike Bale, the fundamental difficulty for Rogers to renew his contract lies in injuries.

The quarterback missed most of the 2017 season due to two different injuries. Although it was not a season-ending injury, it was not far from it. In the end, the Green Bay Packers missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008, which raised many questions for the team.

But Rodgers refused to give in. As one of only three elite quarterbacks in the league, with even Cousins ​​and Smith getting top contracts, Rodgers had no reason to give in.

The two sides are at a stalemate.

Amidst all the heated speculation, through the summer training camp, through the preseason games, until a few days before the new season was about to kick off, just when Green Bay Packers fans had almost given up hope and fell into despair, on August 29th, good news came.

The Green Bay Packers and their main quarterback Rogers finally completed negotiations and signed a four-year, $134 million contract, continuing to break the league's record for the highest annual salary and, as expected, stepping into the 30 million annual salary era, which is about $33.5 million a year.

Although the negotiations were long and arduous, lasting for more than six months, the result was ultimately satisfactory and everyone was happy.

It is foreseeable now that quarterbacks waiting for contract extensions next season have begun sharpening their knives.

However, Bell is a different story.

After the voluntary spring training camp ended, the mandatory summer training camp also kicked off. Bell announced that he would continue to miss this year's summer training camp.

Last year, Bell refused to sign the exclusive franchise tag contract by going on strike, but the Pittsburgh Steelers finally persuaded Bell.

This year, the same thing happened again. Bale took a tough stance and made his attitude clear without any fancy explanations.

The same thing happened for the second year in a row, so the media shouldn't have been surprised; but in fact, the media could vaguely sense the subtlety of the atmosphere.

The Pittsburgh Steelers did not respond officially, but the team's top wide receiver Antonio Brown bluntly expressed his disapproval in an interview.

Last season, Brown renewed his contract with the team and he was eager to get a big contract, but strike was never within his consideration.

"If you want to get better, you must first participate in training. If you don't train, both sides will suffer." "If you can show up, everyone will know that you want to stay here and hope to stay here in the next few years. So you must participate in training and show your determination."

Apparently, the two superstars of the Pittsburgh Steelers were unable to reach a consensus.

Perhaps, the team has not made an official statement, but Brown's words seem meaningful. People can't help but speculate that Brown stands with the team, and Brown's attitude is the team's attitude. The situation is not good for Bell.

July 16th is the franchise tag deadline officially stipulated by the league. Unless the two sides can reach a new agreement, Bell will have to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers with an exclusive franchise tag in the new season.

Bell declined to be interviewed.

Obviously, Bale is not good at facing the media. If he accepts interviews casually and reporters fan the flames and take his words out of context, the situation may be even worse.

Unexpectedly but understandably, Levi did not avoid the interview.

"... In my opinion, this is a pity, for both sides."

"An excellent top player cannot get a decision. His voice is ignored, his demands are rejected, and his value is denied. Maybe he has the opportunity to become a passer and bring more honors to the team, but now, everything is unknown."

"There is no doubt that there are problems here, and it is worth our in-depth exploration."

It's brief, but meaningful.

Levi still did not push the running back to the opposite side of the quarterback or other players of the team, but focused on Bell himself, portraying a possibility of becoming great by reaching the top of the championship, and withdrew from the contract renewal negotiations between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Bell, and involved the Green Bay Packers and Rogers who were also in a tug-of-war at the time, and pointed the finger at the league openly and covertly.

Those rules.

In order to gain ratings and advertising, the league has changed the rules again and again, which has brought about a series of chain reactions and all the players have become victims.

In fact, all this is unnecessary.

Levi's words once again sparked heated discussions on social networks, with all kinds of different opinions flying around, speaking up for Bale.

What is regrettable and lamentable is that Brown, as a teammate, did not support Bell. Not only did he not support Bell, but he also spoke out on behalf of the team. Instead, it was Levi, as an opponent, who showed his true heart and attitude.

Last season, Brown successfully renewed his contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, so he stood on the team's side; but did Brown really think that Bell's predicament would not happen to him?

At least, that's what Brown thinks now.

then.

Li Wei received a text message from an unknown number on his phone.

“Thanks, man.

I'm still fighting, refusing to give in. I'm tired of this shit, I need them to hear my voice, and I need to hear the other running backs' voices as well.

I will not surrender.

Levien."

(End of this chapter)