Le’Veon Bell wants to remain with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2018 and beyond, but the running back seems to understand that he and the team could be headed for an ugly contract negotiation in the coming months.
Following Sunday’s stunning loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Bell was asked about his future in Pittsburgh.
“I never want to leave this city, but obviously, circumstances and things like that,” he said, per Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com. “But I definitely don’t.”
Bell has already touched on some of those “circumstances” in recent weeks. He played under the franchise tag this season, and he said recently that he would consider sitting out all of 2018 or even retiring if the Steelers use the tag on him again. Neither option is likely, but Bell did sit out all of training camp last offseason because he was unhappy about not getting a long-term contract extension.
Bell noted last week that he feels obligated to negotiate the best contract he can to set the bar for his position.
“I don’t necessarily care about the money aspect of it,” he said Friday. “I just want to be valued where I’m at. If I am playing this game, I want to set standards for all the other running backs behind me, like Todd Gurley and Ezekiel Elliott, Melvin Gordon, guys like that. I’m a guy they can kind of look at. I feel I can do that. I’m in a position where I can do that, and I’m going to do it.”
If the Steelers franchise tag Bell again, he would make $14.5 million for the 2018 season. One of the reasons the Steelers were concerned about committing to Bell long-term is his lengthy injury history, so the 25-year-old could argue that his value has increased after he enjoyed an injury-free season and racked up nearly 2,000 total yards from scrimmage.
Bell has also gotten himself into some trouble off the field, but that likely would not prevent him from getting a monster contract on the free agent market.
