The Pittsburgh Steelers know how important Le’Veon Bell is to their offense, and they are ready to make the running back a very rich man.
The Steelers chose to place the franchise tag on Bell earlier this week, but they are confident they will be able to work out a long-term extension with him before the start of the season. How high is the team willing to go with Bell’s average annual salary? As high as they need to.
Told #Steelers are heavy into negotiations w/ RB Le'Veon Bell on long term deal. Very good chance they set the market for RBs w/ this one.
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) March 2, 2017
Adrian Peterson was the highest-paid running back in the NFL at $14 million per year, but the Minnesota Vikings are releasing him. That leaves Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy as the top-paid player at the position with an average annually salary of around $8 million.
Given how productive Bell has been and the fact that he is still just 25, the Steelers should have no problem going above the $8 million that McCoy makes. The question is how far above, and the answer is probably somewhere between what Peterson was making and what McCoy gets.
Bell managed to rush for 1,268 yards and add another 616 yards receiving last year despite missing the first three games of the season due to suspension. If the comments the team made about him recently are any indication, he’s going to remain in a Steelers uniform for many years to come.
