The Pittsburgh Steelers are reportedly "putting Le'Veon Bell negotiations on hold" as they handle other business during free agency and the NFL draft, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com.
Per that report, "General manager Kevin Colbert said team will eventually continue dialogue with Bell's reps but there's no update on a deal. Rescinding franchise tag unlikely. Colbert still hopes Bell is at training camp."
Long-term contract negotiations have been ongoing between Bell and the Steelers for over a year.
"We're not coming to a number we both agree on—they are too low, or I guess they feel I'm too high," Bell said March 6, per Fowler. "I'm playing for strictly my value to the team. That's what I'm asking. I don't think I should settle for anything less than what I'm valued at."
And when pressed on what he would do if he remained on the franchise tag for the 2018 season, Bell—who previously said he would consider retirement or sitting out a season in such a scenario—noted, "I just have to decide if I'm going to play when the time comes."
He's also maintained he wants to remain in Pittsburgh:
Le'Veon Bell@LeVeonBellPittsburgh: the city that took in a 21-year old kid from small-town Ohio, the city I battled thru adversity in, the city that I became a man in. I love everything about being a Pittsburgh Steeler, and I want nothing more than to finish the rest of my career in Pitt! #26Forever https://t.co/mhs2ikpK71
Part of the gulf may be due to the running back market. Atlanta Falcons back Devonta Freeman, for instance, is making $8.25 million a year, which is most at the position. But Bell doesn't believe that should be used to set his market value.
"They are using it as me being compared to another running back or my status or what Devonta Freeman has. I can't control what he's done on the field. I only can control what I think I'm worth and what I've done on the field," Bell noted earlier in March. "That's where the problem lies. 'Freeman's making this, we can't give you this.' ... To me, that's not fair. I didn't sign Devonta's deal. That's the position I'm in. I want to make my own decision."
As Fowler wrote in March, Bell "confirmed he turned down last year's contract offer worth $42 million over the first three years with an average of $13.3 million over the life of the deal."
After the Steelers used the franchise tag on him last year as well, Bell skipped training camp and the preseason, returning to the team the week before Pittsburgh's first game. If the two parties don't come to a long-term extension, it would hardly be surprising if Bell went the same route again.
Bell, 26, can certainly make a strong argument that he not only deserves to be the highest-paid player at his position, but perhaps also by a wide margin. He's rushed for at least 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns in three of the past four seasons. He also has 75 or more receptions, at least 600 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in 2014, 2016 and 2017.
Last year, he posted 1,946 yards from scrimmage and 11 scores.
Few running backs offer the complete package that Bell presents. He's an elite runner and receiver out of the backfield and is also an excellent blocker in the passing game, making him the definition of a feature back in an NFL that has increasingly moved to the running back-by-committee philosophy.
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