There has been some talk that Le’Veon Bell could sit out the first eight games of the 2018 season after he failed to reach an agreement on a long-term extension with the Steelers, but it’s clear the star running back has no intention of doing that.
After the 4 p.m. deadline to negotiate with franchise tagged players passed on Monday, Bell released a statement predicting 2018 will be his best season as a pro.
to all my Steeler fans, my desire always has been to retire a Steeler…both sides worked extremely hard today to make that happen, but the NFL is a hard business at times…to the fans that had hope, I’m sorry we let youu down but trust me, 2018 will be my best season to date…
— Le'Veon Bell (@LeVeonBell) July 16, 2018
The Steelers also released a statement, with general manager Kevin Colbert saying the team will once again work to sign Bell long-term next offseason.
Statement from GM Kevin Colbert on Le’Veon Bell: pic.twitter.com/APTMajqdbF
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) July 16, 2018
If you heard what Bell’s agent said in the wake of negotiations coming up empty again, you get the impression that Bell is on borrowed time in Pittsburgh. A lot can change throughout the course of a season, but the relationship between the two sides is clearly strained.
Bell, 26, wants to be paid based on how he produces, which is in both the running and passing games. However, the Steelers have been hesitant to pay him anything close to what the NFL’s top wide receivers make. It remains to be seen if another team will be willing to do that a year from now.
