Bell decides to miss remainder of season
Le’Veon Bell won’t play in 2018.
The star running back declined to sign his oneyear $14.4 million franchise tender with the Pittsburgh Steelers by Tuesday’s deadline, making him ineligible to suit up for the AFC North-leading Steelers or anyone else this season.
The unusual decision to sit out won’t prevent Bell from becoming a free agent next spring, when the threetime Pro Bowler hopes to cash in with a contract that would make him the highestpaid back in the NFL.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin seemed resigned to Bell’s decision shortly before the 4 p.m. deadline, saying simply “so be it” when asked about the possibility of Bell never returning to the team that drafted him in the second round of the 2013 draft and helped mold him into one of the league’s top players. MNF MOVED FROM MEXICO CITY TO L.A. >> The NFL has moved the Los Angeles Rams’ Monday night showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs from Mexico City to Los Angeles due to the poor condition of the field at Azteca Stadium.
The league announced the extraordinary decision Tuesday, six days before one of the most-anticipated regular-season games of the year.
In a news release, the league says it determined that the recently re-sodded field at Mexico City’s historic stadium “does not meet NFL standards for playability and consistency, and will not meet those standards by next Monday.”
Recent rains and several big events at Azteca combined to damage the field.
The Rams (9-1) will host the Chiefs (9-1) at the Coliseum instead.
SAINTS KEEP NO. 1 SPOT IN POLL >> For the past two months, the rest of the NFL has tried to slow down Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints.
And no one has been able to figure out how.
The Saints (8-1) rolled to their eighth consecutive victory with a 51-14 pummeling of the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
The Saints kept the No. 1 spot in the latest AP Pro32 poll . They received 10 of 12 first-place votes and 382 points in balloting Tuesday by media members who regularly cover the NFL.
The Kansas City Chiefs received the other two first-place votes and remained at No. 2 with 368 points. The Los Angeles Rams were a close third with 366 points.
FOURTH DOWN >> The Tennessee Titans have signed running back Dalyn Dawkins off their practice squad with David Fluellen out at least against Indianapolis with an injured knee.
To clear space, the Titans waived fullback Jalston Fowler. They also signed defensive back Mike Jordan to the practice squad.
• Receiver Pharoh Cooper will return to practice this week with the Los Angeles Rams after being sidelined since the season opener by an injured ankle.
• The Los Angeles Chargers placed linebacker Denzel Perryman on injured reserve with a knee injury and promoted linebacker Tre’von Johnson from the practice squad.
Perryman injured the lateral collateral ligament in his left knee during the first quarter of Sunday’s 20-6 win over Oakland.
• The Buffalo Bills have released receiver Terrelle Pryor two weeks after signing the eighth-year player.