With the clock ticking down before the Pittsburgh Steelers’ deadline to place the franchise tag on running back Le’Veon Bell, it appears that the two sides are at a standstill when it comes to extension talks.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the two sides just haven’t made any substantive progress.
“The clock is ticking on the Pittsburgh Steelers and Le’Veon Bell, who have yet to make major progress on a contract extension just three days before the window for franchise tag designations closes,” Fowler reported.
Bell had previously noted that he might holdout or retire altogether rather than play under the tag. He’s since backtracked from that statement, but it’s readily apparent that the All-Pro running back is not too happy.
This report also comes on the heels of previous indications that progress was in fact being made between the two sides. What the hiccup is that this point remains to be seen. For their part, the Steelers are going to place the tag on Bell should the two sides not come to agreement on a long-term deal before this week’s deadline to franchise him. That would guarantee Bell north of $14 million for the 2018 season.
Bell, 26, has put up 3,830 total yards and 20 touchdowns over the past two seasons. Should he be handed the franchise tag, Pittsburgh would face a July deadline to extend the dynamic running back. Should that not happen, he’ll once again be slated for free agency following the 2018 season.
Though, that would come with a major caveat. Pittsburgh would be on the hook for an $18.5 million cap hit in 2019 if it then decided to franchise him for a third consecutive year. This makes the next couple days extremely interesting in Pittsburgh.