Le'Veon Bell announces whether he'll play the 2018 season after franchise tag
Well, Steelers fans, this is progress.
The Le’Veon Bell franchise tagging situation has gone on for nearly two years.
Last spring, the All-Pro running back complained loudly and clearly that he didn’t appreciate Pittsburgh slapping the tag on him and forcing him to play on a one-year deal worth $12.1 million.
Bell held out of training camp, and didn’t sign his deal until less than one week before the season opener.
The 26-year-old made it clear that he wants a multiyear contract.
In January, he even threatened retirement should he receive the tag again.
Well, he’s been tagged, but the black and gold faithful don’t have to worry about him being ready to start the season.
In an Instagram Live chat Wednesday, Bell told fans he won’t be holding out during the season.
“Honestly, no, I’m not going to sit out. I’m going to be in the facility Week 1,” he said. “It’s going to be a rerun of last year. I’m not going to [training] camp. I’m not doing nothing else extra, OTAs, none of that.
“I’m going to strictly go to what I have to go to. I want to win every game. I want to have the best statistical career that I possibly can, so I want to play in every game that I can possibly play.”
But Bell didn’t stop there, and his subsequent comments raised further questions about his intentions.
He was asked about a Billboard.com article a day earlier in which he said he might hold out until Week 10.
“Me saying I was going to sit out was more emotional at the time,” Bell said. “When I was asked the question, that’s the way I felt at the time. I might come in Week 1. I might come in Week 4. I don’t know what week I’m going to come in, but I’m going to play this year, though.”
The franchise tag means he’ll play the 2018 season for $14.5 million, unless he and the team work out a new deal before July 16.
The formula worked last season, as Bell ran for 1,291 yards — although his 4.0 yards per carry was the lowest since his rookie season out of Michigan State.
Bell turned down an extension worth $13.3 million per year, knowing that All-Pro wideout Antonio Brown is playing on a four-year, $68 million deal.
He is the first running back to receive the tag two consecutive years. Former Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins is currently shopping for a new team after he was tagged in each of the past two seasons.
Bell is beloved by Steelers fans — with just 42 more yards, he’ll move into third place on the team’s all-time list, trailing only Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis — but reading his comments, it’s anyone’s guess if he’ll stay in Pittsburgh long enough to move up much further.
“Yes, I am going to stay in Pittsburgh,” Bell said. “For one, I don’t have an option. For two, I want to stay in Pittsburgh. So the ultimate goal is to get that done. That’s just the way business goes, so who really knows what’s going to happen?”
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