Steelers Apply Franchise Tag To Le’Veon Bell

As expected, the Steelers have hit Le’Veon Bell with the franchise tag. The move will prevent the running back from exploring unrestricted free agency while giving the two parties until July to hammer out a long-term deal. 

On Monday, Bell indicated that he was still far apart with the Steelers on contract negotiations. He also said that his threat of retirement from January was legitimate and still in play.

The Steelers, ostensibly, are willing to make Bell the league’s highest-paid running back with a deal that tops Devonta Freeman‘s $8.25MM average yearly salary. Bell, meanwhile, wants a contract that reflects his value not only as a rusher, but as a receiver.

Bell certainly has a case. In 2017, he had 85 catches and 655 yards with two receiving touchdowns. That didn’t detract much from his rushing totals, either. Bell racked up 1,291 yards and nine rushing TDs off of a league-high 321 carries in 2017.

The Steelers now find themselves in a very similar position as last season. They have cuffed Bell with a one-year placeholder, this time at a 20% increase, amounting to $14.544MM. Bell did not take kindly to the move last summer and waited until just before the season to ink his tender. The 26-year-old could do the same this year or even ramp up the retirement talk.

If Bell holds out, the Steelers will not be without leverage. If Bell plays games, the Steelers could threaten to relinquish the tag late in the offseason and leave him on the curb after most of the league’s cap room has already been spoken for.

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