Steelers ready to cut cord on Bell, let him walk as free agent

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell will be an unrestricted free agent.

The team will not use a transition or franchise tag on Bell, who sat out the entire 2018 season in a contract standoff, general manager Kevin Colbert told reporters Wednesday.

“Le’Veon is still a great player. We can’t afford to use any other type of tags,” Colbert said. “Le’Veon will be an unrestricted free agent at the start of the new league year.”

Bell, who turned 27 on Monday, has posted three 1,000-yard seasons and earned three Pro Bowl selections since entering the league in 2013. He sat last season rather than collect $14.5 million under the franchise tag for a second consecutive season, when a long-term deal with the Steelers could not be reached.

Bell later tweeted: “Free at last, Free at last, Thank God Almighty I am free at last”

In Bell’s absence, secondyear back James Conner ran for 973 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.

RUMORS SWIRL ABOUT GIANTS’ COLLINS >> Landon Collins, a three-time Pro Bowl safety, might soon be moving on from the New York Giants, according to a report from ESPN.

Or not, according to other reports.

Reporter Josina Anderson wrote on Twitter that, “I’m told that Giants S Landon Collins cleaned out his locker today at the team facility and said his goodbyes to teammates, coaches and trainers. It doesn’t seem like Collins expects to be a Giant for much longer, per sources.”

When the New York Post refuted that Collins’ locker had been cleaned out, Collins re-tweeted that post while adding, “The stuff in that locker that I have left I do not need” followed by a “100” symbol.

SEAHAWKS WANT DE CLARK BACK >> Seattle could use the franchise tag option for the first time since 2010 if they can’t agree on a contract with defensive end Frank Clark before the March 5 tag deadline.

Clark, 25, will become a free agent on March 13 if no agreement is reached and likely would be pursued by many teams. He led the Seahawks with 13 sacks in the regular season, and head coach Pete Carroll said he wants him back.

Tennis

FEDERER EYES MADRID RETURN >> Roger Federer confirmed his participation for this year’s Madrid Open, marking his return to the European clay court season after two years away.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion has not played this year since his Australian Open round of 16 defeat by Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas in January.

Federer, whose sole French Open title came in 2009, has preferred to skip the European clay season over the last two seasons.

Track and field

LYLES DROPPING 100 >> American sprinter Noah Lyles is dropping plans for a sprint double at September’s world championships in Doha and will focus only on the 200 meters, he told Reuters.

Lyles had talked about going for gold in the 100 and 200.