Steelers officially place a franchise tag on Le’Veon Bell

The Pittsburgh Steelers and star running back Le’Veon Bell are at odds once again with both sides still unable to see eye-to-eye on a lucrative long-term contract.

As a result of the team and Bell being unable to agree to terms on a new deal, the Steelers have decided to franchise tag him for the second straight year, according to ESPN.

The Steelers officially placed the franchise tag on running back Le’Veon Bell for the second consecutive year on Tuesday, the last day for teams to use the designation.

Fortunately for Bell, there’s still a window of opportunity in order to get a long-term deal done. The two sides have until mid-July to come to terms.

The tag for Bell is worth $14.544 million for the 2018 season. The Steelers and Bell have until July 15 to agree to a multiyear contract or he will have to play the season on the franchise tag.

Of course, this is where things could get tricky. Bell has threatened to retire from the NFL if he doesn’t get the contract he wants. He has maintained that he wasn’t bluffing about his retirement threat. If Pittsburgh doesn’t meet his demands, he may have played his last game in the NFL.

AFC

It’s hard to believe a player in his prime at 26 would leave $14.5 million on the table. Certainly not just to prove a point. Retirement seems highly unlikely even if the two sides can’t come to terms on a deal. There’s even a chance that Bell signs under the franchise tag and then gets traded. Much like the situation with Jarvis Landry with the Miami Dolphins.

At this point, it would be wise for the Steelers to figure something out. The team has as dynamic an offense as there is in the NFL with Ben Roethlisberger under center. It has Bell coming out of the backfield as a dual threat and Antonio Browns downfield.

Currently, the Steelers are still very much expected to be a force to be reckoned with in the AFC and quite possibly a legitimate title contender.