Pittsburgh Steelers: No long-term deal for Le’Veon Bell
At least for now, the time has come and gone for the Pittsburgh Steelers and star running back Le’Veon Bell to agree on a big-time contract.
Earlier this year, the Pittsburgh Steelers made sure two-time All-Pro running back Le’Veon Bell wasn’t going anywhere this season. Unfortunately, that is not necessarily the case when March 2018 rolls around.
The club slapped the four-year performer with the exclusive franchise tag prior to the start of free agency. Unlike a non-exclusive franchise tag, another team could not make a free-agent offer to the Steelers and Bell.
In any case, the team and the player had until Monday, July 17 at 4:00 p.m. ET to come to terms on a long-term contract. Both Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins and Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson were in similar situations. Both of those players had already signed their one-year tenders and are under contract for 2017.
That’s not the case when it comes to Bell, who has yet to sign his $12.1 million tender. Hence, the organization made an announcement Monday afternoon (via Teresa Varley of Steelers.com):
"“Unfortunately, we were unable to agree to terms on a long-term contract with Le’Veon Bell prior to today’s deadline,” said general manager Kevin Colbert. “Le’Veon is scheduled to play this year under the exclusive franchise tag designation. We will resume our efforts to address his contract situation following the 2017 season.”"
Bell was the offensive catalyst for a team overcoming a 4-5 start this past season. Despite missing the first three games of 2016 due to his latest suspension, he was still one of the NFL’s best running backs. He also sat out the Week 17 finale against the Browns. Which means, in 12 games, he finished with 1,884 yards from scrimmage. Only Arizona’s David Johnson (2,118) and Dallas’ Ezekiel Elliott (1,994) finished with more.
Next: 2018 NFL Mock Draft: Pre-training camp
The Steelers did drafted running back James Conner (Pittsburgh) in the third round in April. They also have Fitzgerald Toussaint and Knile Davis on the roster. And until Bell opts to sign his tender, the team won’t be seeing him anytime soon. And that could include training camp as well. Stay tuned.