Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2018 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:
Minnesota Vikings
Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell has leverage and he should use it, Mike Florio of PFT opines. Florio gets the sense that the Steelers are imposing an artificial deadline of the start of the league year or the franchise tag deadline to finalize a multi-year deal. Instead, Bell could stand firm and refuse to sign a long-term deal that is shy of his goal and once again exercise his right to stay home throughout the offseason.
Bell has indicated that he does not want a second consecutive franchise tag, but the one-year deal for $14.52MM wouldn’t be a bad place to end up. In theory, the Steelers could use the tag on him for a third straight year in 2019, but the $17.42MM price tag means that they would probably allow him to test the open market unfettered.
Things might not be as bad between Le’Veon Bell and the Steelers as initially believed. The running back told reporters on Wednesday that the team has already presented him with an extension offer and the two sides are a lot closer than they were last year (Twitter link via Mark Kaboly of The Athletic). 
Bell also disputed a recent report indicating that he was late to the Steelers’ walkthrough before their playoff game against the Jaguars. Bell says that the tardiness was due to personal reasons and coach Mike Tomlin was aware (Twitter link via Kaboly).
Earlier this month, Bell made waves by saying that he would consider sitting out the 2018 season if he’s franchise tagged for a second consecutive season. No one really knows whether Bell would quit if handed a one-year, $14.5MM tender, but it sounds like we might not have to find out. Last year, Bell turned down a $60MM offer from Pittsburgh. This time around, he could get more than that over a five-year period, or perhaps greater cash flow in the first few years.
Bell finished out the season with 1,291 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. He also had 85 catches for 655 yards and two TDs, earning him a First-Team All-Pro nod.
With the conference championship games in the books, we now know the draft order for 30 of the first round’s 32 picks. Here’s the rundown:
1. Cleveland Browns (0-16)
2. New York Giants (3-13)
3. Indianapolis Colts (4-12)
4. Cleveland Browns (via the 4-12 Houston Texans)
5. Denver Broncos (5-11)
6. New York Jets (5-11)
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-11)
8. Chicago Bears (5-11)
T-9. Oakland Raiders (6-10)
T-9. San Francisco 49ers (6-10) (Note: The Raiders and 49ers have identical records and the same strength of schedule. The tie will be broken by a coin flip with the winner getting pick No. 9 and the other club receiving the No. 10 pick.)
11. Miami Dolphins (6-10)
12. Cincinnati Bengals (7-9)
13. Washington Redskins (7-9)
14. Green Bay Packers (7-9)
15. Arizona Cardinals (8-8)
16. Baltimore Ravens (9-7)
17. Los Angeles Chargers (9-7)
18. Seattle Seahawks (9-7)
19. Dallas Cowboys (9-7)
20. Detroit Lions (9-7)
21. Buffalo Bills (9-7)
22. Buffalo Bills (via the 10-6 Kansas City Chiefs)
23. Los Angeles Rams (11-5)
24. Carolina Panthers (11-5)
25. Tennessee Titans (9-7)
26. Atlanta Falcons (10-6)
27. New Orleans Saints (11-5)
28. Pittsburgh Steelers (13-3)
29. Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6)
30. Minnesota Vikings (13-3)
31. (New England Patriots (13-3) or Philadelphia Eagles (13-3))
32. (New England Patriots (13-3) or Philadelphia Eagles (13-3))
It’s safe to say that the Steelers and Le’Veon Bell are not in a good place right now. Bell arrived late for the Steelers’ playoff game against the Jaguars last week and missed almost all of the walk-through on the day prior, Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette hears. 
Bell made waves earlier this month when he said that he would retire if the Steelers use the franchise tag on him for the second consecutive season. It’s hard to imagine Bell walking away from the game in the midst of his prime, but the Steelers might not want to invest $14.57MM in him for an additional season knowing that he could pull similar stunts. He’s also not doing himself any favors in regards to getting a lucrative long-term deal out of the organization.
Last year, Bell reportedly turned down a deal with an average annual value of $12MM per year and upwards of $30MM over the first two years. Some reports indicated that Bell’s agent was pushing for him to take the deal when the running back declined the offer at the last minute.
“It will eventually come down to me playing on the tag or not,” Bell said on Jan. 11. “They tag me again, it will be me [saying], ‘OK, do I want to play on the tag or do I not want to play on the tag?’ That’s what it comes down to. If I was a free agent and they let me go, be a free agent, then yeah, I’m going to go explore free agency, test the market.”
Bell finished out 2017 with 1,291 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. He also caught 85 passes for 655 yards and two scores en route a First-Team All-Pro nod.
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2018 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:
Arizona Cardinals
Oakland Raiders
Pittsburgh Steelers
Tennessee Titans
Washington Redskins
Here are today’s reserve/futures contracts.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Here are today’s workout updates, courtesy of veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer.
Baltimore Ravens
Jacksonville Jaguars
Pittsburgh Steelers