Chapter 944: 943 Turbulent Times

The offseason slowly unfolded. Even before the free market officially opened, team managers and agents had already been bustling about, overwhelmed with work.

There’s no doubt that this year will be incredibly busy, especially after the Kansas City Chiefs defended their title–

Everyone wants to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs!

What’s more, this offseason already carries a whiff of brewing storms and instability, with the League seemingly preparing for seismic shifts.

Rumors began spreading throughout the League immediately after the Super Bowl ended.

The last remaining member of the Seattle Seahawks’ “Bombing Corps,” safety Earl Thomas, was reported to be a “locker room bomb.” He had been stirring trouble all year long starting from last year’s offseason. After enduring yet another season, head coach Carroll finally hit his limit, and both sides decided to part ways.

This also marked the disappearance of the once-dominating Bombing Corps.

After delivering a phenomenal performance during the 2017 season and earning the nickname “Saint Nick,” quarterback Foles sat obediently on the bench in the 2018 season and cleaned up Wentz’s mess once again. Although not as dazzling as the prior season, he still managed to lead the Philadelphia Eagles into the division stage with a clutch performance.

However…

The Philadelphia Eagles still placed their hopes in Wentz.

Disheartened, Foles eventually put away his fantasies and submitted a trade request to the team, ready to test the free market.

What didn’t occur in last year’s offseason inevitably happened this year.

Similarly testing the waters was Baltimore Ravens veteran quarterback Flacco. Harbaugh had long expressed his commitment to building around Jackson as the starting quarterback. Flacco, who once made significant contributions to the team, was left no choice but to seek work elsewhere, bearing witness yet again to the ruthlessness of the professional arena.

The truly brutal story, however, belonged to Le’Veon Bell.

After a full season of sitting out, the relationship between this Pittsburgh Steelers star running back and the team was irreparably fractured. The Steelers were quick to hang a “for sale” sign and wait for interested suitors.

Bell, in turn, began gearing up, eager to join a team and prove himself.

There’s no doubt that Bell was this year’s most unpredictable factor in the free market.

On one hand, Li Wei’s meteoric rise subtly revived the market value of running backs, and Bell remains one of the most talented running backs in the League.

On the other hand, a year away from the field left questions about Bell’s form and abilities. Coupled with his reputation as a troublemaker, notorious for contract disputes and drama far surpassing that of the money-hungry Revis, there were lingering concerns about whether Bell might become a locker room bomb after signing.

Judging from the mounting public chatter, it seemed the Pittsburgh Steelers were looking to scapegoat Bell for their locker room troubles, using his contract disputes as a narrative for destabilizing the team’s atmosphere.

Now, Bell wasn’t having it–

Why should I take the blame?

With bridges already burned between Bell and the team, he went all-out.

“The real cancer in the locker room is Roethlisberger!”

Boom, boom, boom!

A single revelation triggered waves of shock throughout the League.

It all made sense because Bell wasn’t the first “victim.”

In the 2018 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers bore immense pressure, leading to widespread criticism of Tomlin’s decisions. Wide receiver Antonio Brown stood up and accused certain teammates of shirking responsibilities during practice, acting distracted in meetings, and undermining the locker room’s atmosphere–but no one dared to speak out.

All fingers pointed toward quarterback Roethlisberger.

In this scenario, Roethlisberger maintained a “humble and honest” image. Instead of arguing back, he defended Brown, admitted he needed to reflect on himself, and promised to become a better leader–words that left Brown feeling like Zhu Bajie looking into a mirror–

Blamed from all sides.

Throughout the season, Brown and Roethlisberger experienced multiple conflicts, with Brown consistently on the losing side. By season’s end, allegations about a locker room helmet incident emerged, whereby Brown reportedly slammed his own helmet in anger, only for it to bounce and hit Roethlisberger, escalating tensions.

Still, the Pittsburgh Steelers locker room kept a tight lid on matters.

All evidence suggested Brown, the arrogant wide receiver, was the root cause of trouble.

Early this year, before the Super Bowl, Brown went completely off the rails. Without consulting the team, he announced intentions to leave and issued a departure manifesto, making himself the target of widespread criticism.

Because, publicly, the Pittsburgh Steelers appeared to be “exhausting every effort” to retain their top wide receiver, seemingly tolerating Brown’s unruly behavior from every angle.

Until Bell spoke up.

Only then did people realize why all the blame seemed to fall elsewhere–

Bell and Brown were cast as the guilty figures in breaking the Pittsburgh Steelers’ locker room unity, akin to the gaslit victims in a psychological game, while quarterback Roethlisberger remained perfectly invisible.

The situation exploded.

In the ensuing uproar, the Pittsburgh Steelers found themselves shamefully thrust into the spotlight of the offseason in the worst possible way.

Clearly, the once-golden trio of the Steelers had irreversibly fallen apart, never to reconcile; yet, the fate of those three individuals remained unknown. What would the 2019 season bring?

Last offseason, quarterbacks were indisputably the focal point:

Rodgers’ extension with the Green Bay Packers, the decisions surrounding Wentz and Foles, Kansas City Chiefs’ choice between Smith and Mahomes, and the Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars’ quarterback strategies.

And so on.

This offseason, quarterback narratives receded slightly, while the impending futures of other top-tier players ignited the fire earlier than expected.

The Green Bay Packers’ wide receiver Randall Cobb and linebacker Clay Matthews, New England Patriots’ wide receiver Amendola and defensive tackle Flor, New Orleans Saints’ running back Ingram, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Bortles–the list goes on.

All of these players entered free agency upon their contracts expiring. Whether they re-sign or transfer, they are poised to be the marquee attractions in this year’s free market, potentially reshaping next season’s League landscape.

However!

No one anticipated the biggest bombshell to drop on the very first day of the free market.

The New York Giants and Cleveland Browns finalized a massive trade involving four players and two draft picks–a blockbuster deal!

Among those players was none other than Odell Beckham Jr.

The entire League was floored.

Last season, the New York Giants were a laughingstock over quarterback Little Manning’s situation. This season, they audaciously traded away their biggest star. The once-future of the League, Odell Beckham Jr., now headed to Cleveland.

This???!

Odell Beckham Jr., still under contract, was traded away by the New York Giants. What on earth happened? The first big move of the offseason brought nothing but shock.

And yet, this was merely the tip of the iceberg.