Le’Veon Bell and the Pittsburgh Steelers were unable to come to an agreement on a long-term contract extension this past offseason, and they are sure to explore talks again when the 2017 season ends. However, there remains a good chance that those discussions could once again accomplish very little.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that the Steelers are likely to hit Bell with the franchise tag again this offseason. Bell is said to be seeking a deal worth $15 million per year, and franchise tagging him for a second consecutive year would cost the Steelers an estimated $14.5 million.
If Bell does play under the franchise tag again, he will have made roughly $26.7 million over two seasons. The Steelers reportedly offered him a long-term deal worth $30 million over the first two years, though Bell was apparently unhappy with the proposed structure of the contract. Still, Pittsburgh could franchise tag Bell again in 2018 and pay him less guaranteed money than he would have been paid if he signed a long-term extension, assuming the reported figures of the deal are accurate.
Bell won’t turn 26 until February, so he would obviously get a monster contract if he hit the open market. That said, he has a concerning injury history and has gotten himself into some trouble off the field. The Steelers may be fine with taking it year to year, though that could result in a strained relationship between the team and player.
