USA TODAY International Edition
BELL IS SIGNED BUT FAR FROM SEALED
Future as a Steeler remains murky
After skipping the offseason and training camp, Le’Veon Bell is back with the Pittsburgh Steelers — for now.
The all-pro running back returned to the Steelers on Friday, nine days before Pittsburgh opened its regular season against the Cleveland Browns. The team announced Monday that he’d signed his franchise tag.
The Steelers placed the exclusive franchise tag on Bell at the end of February, ensuring him a one-year salary of $12.12 million while preventing him from negotiating with other teams.
Once the July 17 deadline for franchised players to hammer out long-term contracts with their clubs came and went, though, Bell was left with two options: sign the tender and report, or refuse to sign it and sit out indefinitely without fear of being fined since he wasn’t technically under contract. He chose the latter option during preseason.
Bell was never going to leave $12.12 million on the table. This is not the long-term deal he was seeking, but that yearly salary smashed the going rate for running backs in the NFL.
The next-closest player in annual salary is the Atlanta Falcons’ Devonta Freeman, who averages $8.25 million on his recently signed five-year deal.
Bell’s absence from the team, though, accomplished a few things.
He reinforced his desire to make more money than what Pittsburgh offered throughout the offseason. He also remained fresh by avoiding the contact of camp.
But the last one comes with a caveat. As much as Bell might have been working out on his own, he won’t be in football shape. He’ll have to cram the preparation for a regular-season workload into a week. He has said that won’t be an issue, but general manager and vice president Kevin Colbert has listed it among his chief complaints about the absence from training camp.
Bell and the Steelers need to navigate a potentially uncomfortable situation for the rest of the season. Pittsburgh boasts a stacked roster and should compete with the defending champion New England Patriots for the AFC crown.
Once the season ends, however, Bell could test the market. The Steelers could always place the franchise tag on him again, but keeping him in such fashion would cost $14.54 million in 2018. The biggest question facing Pittsburgh is whether Bell’s action points to a larger problem: Has his relationship with the team soured and would he consider bolting next year if given the opportunity?
All the while, Bell’s social media usage has generated great interest from onlookers.
After the Steelers announced Thursday that they had extended the contract of Colbert — the man Bell’s representatives will be negotiating with after the season — Bell tweeted a message that appeared to be in support of his boss (though some suggested it might not be sincere). “congrats Kev,” he wrote. This was after Bell posted a freestyle rap aimed at outspoken teammates who’d said they wanted the two-time Pro Bowl selection back with the team. In it, he talks about needing “17” — likely meaning $17 million.
There’s a certain lightheartedness to all of it, along with Bell indicating in subsequent posts that he and his teammates “like having fun.”
Maybe this was Bell just passing the time on his summer vacation.
But given his prolonged absence, maybe there’s something larger brewing. Maybe this is the final year Bell will play in Pittsburgh.