Le’Veon Bell not expected to join Steelers, will forfeit entire season
Steelers’ running back Le'Veon Bell is unlikely to report to the team by Tuesday's deadline, which would make him ineligible to play the rest of this season, multiple league sources tell ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 11, 2018
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell is reportedly unlikely to report to the team before Tuesday’s deadline to sign his franchise tender, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
If Bell doesn’t join the Steelers by Tuesday, he will be ineligible to play for the remainder of the 2018 season.
The Steelers placed a franchise tag worth $14.5 million on Bell during the offseason, and the sides couldn’t agree on a long-term extension.
Bell is poised to leave that money on the table and sit out a full season before he hits free agency after 2018. While Pittsburgh can place the transition tag on him, which would give it the right to match any offer made to him, Bell likely won’t stay with the Steelers.
When Bell returned to Pittsburgh last week, it was an indication he planned to finish the season with the Steelers. But he would do so at a risk of injury that would potentially limit his negotiating power in free agency.
The Steelers have thrived in Bell’s absence, winning five games in a row to take a 6-2-1 record that is tops in the AFC North.
Bell’s replacement, former Pitt star James Conner, has 771 yards rushing and 387 receiving through nine games.
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