Steelers: Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell get their storybook ending away from Pittsburgh

The former Steelers stars took unusual paths to get there, but they’re both Super Bowl bound.

The common storyline for both Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown was that they weren’t the kind of players a top-tier franchise could win with. A me-first attitude, as described by the Pittsburgh media, kept the ‘Killer B’s’ from reaching their ultimate potential. While Ben Roethlisberger is clearly on the downswing, the Steelers haven’t won a Super Bowl since 2009.

It’s unclear if Bell or Brown ever would’ve reached that goal in Pittsburgh. Both had untimely exits from the Steel City. Bell sat out an entire season in search of a record contract that the Steelers were unwilling to hand out. Eventually he signed with the Jets, before landing with the Chiefs due to a failed experiment in New York. Brown, meanwhile, forced his way out of Pittsburgh in part due to relationship issues with Roethlisberger. Short stints with the Raiders and Patriots — as well as some legal issues — led to his eventual reinstatement and signing on with Tampa Bay.

How should Steelers fans feel about Brown and Bell at this point?

It’s unlikely fans in Pittsburgh are still bitter. Bell is a backup running back to rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire, ring chasing for a piece of jewelry he can’t buy. Brown has undergone a reputation rewrite of sorts, attaching himself to the hip of Tom Brady in hopes of reinventing his career post-30 years old.

While one will win Super Bowl 55, it would be considered a shock if either led the way for their respective franchises. Neither played in the AFC Championship or NFC Championship due to injury.

So, sure, while it’s not great to see your frenemies achieve success away from home, the Steelers have their own issues to worry about. Roethlisberger is due an insane amount of money next season despite not possessing nearly the amount of talent he used to. Big Ben is flirting with retirement, and the Steelers need to find a way to move on and focus on the future.

How Brown and Bell perform moving forward is of little concern to them — or at least that’s what fans in Pittsburgh will tell themselves as this narrative plays out over the next two weeks.