Pittsburgh Steelers News & Rumors

Rob Gronkowski will report to the Patriots for training camp, but don’t expect the same from Steelers star Le’Veon Bell. The running back’s tentative plan is to miss Steelers training camp but be ready for the regular season, a source tells Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter). While Bell is displeased over the team’s decision to not give him a suitable extension before the deadline, it would be a “shock” if he were to miss games and the Steelers expect him to play a full season, Fowler hears.

Of course, Bell still has time to consider all of his options. In theory, Bell could protect himself from injury by waiting to sign his tender until after the season has begun. But, by doing that, he would miss out on more than $900K for every game he doesn’t play and would risk the possibility – however slim – of the Steelers rescinding the tag. Bell would reach free agency in that scenario, but at a time when most of the league’s free agent dollars have dried up.

There’s also the possibility that Bell changes his mind, signs the tag quickly, and reports in time for training camp this month. But, right now, that seems about as unlikely as a regular season holdout. Last year, Bell took his time before signing the tag and still managed an incredibly productive season.

In 2017, Bell posted 1,946 yards from scrimmage in 15 games. His 4.0 yards per carry represented a drop from the 4.9 he’d averaged in 2015 and ’16, but that might have something to do with overuse. Last year, Bell led the league with 321 carries and had 406 touches overall.

With Le’Veon Bell attached to the franchise tag for another season, the fallout’s begun — from the running back’s agent saying this will likely be his client’s final year in Pittsburgh, to the Steelers expressing hope they can sign Bell after this season.

More clarity’s emerging on the Steelers’ final offer. Pittsburgh offered Bell a five-year, $70MM deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter), doing so a year after proposing a five-year, $60MM contract to the All-Pro running back. During an appearance on NFL Total Access, Rapoport said the Steelers and Bell did not come as close to a deal as they did last July.

Rapoport notes this proposal, like last summer’s, included more than $30MM in its first two years. The average salary of this deal is $14MM — $500K shy of the amount of Bell’s current franchise tag and the figure that Bell said was his price floor.

It’s not certain what guarantees the Steelers were willing to include, and that element could be why Bell looks bound for 2019 free agency.

The Steelers’ 2017 offer was worth $13.3MM over five years. ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler reported the team increased the proposal in the spring, with Bell’s rejection stalling talks for months. It’s unclear if this final offer was more than the one the Steelers made to Bell in the spring.

This five-year, $70MM pact, interestingly, is the same amount both Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas signed for at the 2015 tag deadline. This illustrates the obvious gap between the present values of the wide receiver and running back positions, with Antonio Brown now earning a wideout-high $17MM per year, but it also shows how much Bell stuck to his guns. This offer was $6MM north of any other running back’s AAV.

The 26-year-old running back sought more from the Steelers in the spring because of the 406-touch season — his second first-team All-Pro slate — he put together last year and his status as arguably the NFL’s best running back. Bell’s gambling this kind of money will be there for him in free agency after what would probably be another high-volume workload this season. This worked for Kirk Cousins. The two-tag process netted him free agency and a fully guaranteed deal, but he plays a much less violent position. And Bell has some injuries in his past.

It’s a bold move on Bell’s part given what’s happened to the running back market during his career and how the Steelers use him.

He enters 2018 with 1,229 career carries. Should Bell stay healthy, he’ll almost certainly surpass 1,500 this season. The only active players ahead of Bell currently: Frank Gore, Marshawn Lynch, LeSean McCoy, Jonathan Stewart and LeGarrette Blount. All of whom have at least three more years’ experience than the Steelers’ versatile workhorse. And Bell has 312 career receptions as well, adding to the risk of turning down a long-term pact for a second straight year.

Le’Veon Bell‘s agent says the running back is unlikely to be in Pittsburgh after the 2018 season. Steelers GM Kevin Colbert, meanwhile, is still hoping to keep Bell in place for years to come. 

The franchise tag extension deadline is roughly one hour away, and it’s not clear whether the Steelers and Le’Veon Bell are close on a new deal. However, they are at least talking, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. A deal is considered to be a longshot at this time, Rapoport notes, but there is a good-faith effort being made by both parties.

If no deal is reached by 4pm ET/3pm CT, Bell will play out the 2018 season on the $14.5MM franchise tag. The Steelers will not be able to resume extension talks until after the season is over, and Bell will almost certainly opt to test the open market.

Bell is after a deal that reflects his performance as an elite running back who also provides the production of a No. 2 wide receiver. That means a game-changing contract for RBs that also includes a hefty guarantee and significant cash flow. So far, the Steelers have been unwilling to come close to his demands.

Last year, the Steelers offered Bell a $60MM deal with $42.5MM coming in the first three years of the pact with unknown guarantees. Bell, meanwhile, is said to be seeking $17MM per year. Recently, the Steelers upped their offer to more than $13.3MM per season.

Less than 18 hours remain until the 2018 franchise tag extension deadline, and the impasse between the Steelers and Le’Veon Bell persists after nearly two full offseasons’ worth of negotiations.

The Steelers and Bell resumed talks again this week, and the team is committed to trying to hammer out a deal until the 3pm Monday deadline. However, the two-time All-Pro running back turned down the Steelers’ latest offer, one worth north of $13.3MM per year, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports (video link).

Pittsburgh’s 2017 offer was worth $13.3MM AAV, and the proposal reportedly contained $30MM in its first two years. However, Bell — attached to a $12.12MM tag at that point — turned that down.

When the Steelers approached him earlier this year, per Fowler, the running back referenced his 406-touch workload last season as evidence he’s worth more. The talks between the parties cooled off until they picked up again months later, and it’s safe to assume Bell’s adjusted price caused the hiatus.

Bell’s $14.54MM 2018 tag figure continues to be his per-year floor, per Fowler. The Steelers and Bell have made progress, but ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reported earlier Sunday night that the odds are against an agreement being hammered out.

No other running back makes more on a long-term deal than Devonta Freeman‘s $8.25MM, and his 2017 extension only bumped the current running back ceiling up by less than $250K per year. LeSean McCoy‘s 2015 Bills deal represented the standard before that. No other current running back earns more than $8MM annually, but Bell would nearly double that this season by playing on the tag again.