With or without Le'Veon Bell, the Pittsburgh Steelers are a good football team. But, with him, their offense is able to soar to pretty incredible heights.
In just 12 games after coming back from a suspension, Bell has amassed 1,268 rushing yards and another 616 through the air. His duel-threat abilities make him a nearly unstoppable force for opposing defenses. Stack the box, and Pittsburgh will get the ball to him outside. Play straight-up, and he'll knife his way throw would-be tacklers with shifty cuts and incredible vision.
It's rare for a commodity of Bell's talents to hit the open market, especially at the young age of 24. But, with his rookie contract ready to expire, that's where things are headed.
Luckily for Pittsburgh, Le'Veon has absolutely no designs of signing else where.
From Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
“Obviously, I want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler so obviously we’re going to try to do everything it takes to make that happen.”
The newly minted Steelers MVP, his second such honor in the past three years, could be franchise-tagged if no contract is agreed upon. For running backs, that would amount to about $12 million for one year.
Bell chose not to negotiate an extension prior to the 2016 season. As they begin talks, a couple potential hold-ups from Pittsburgh's end will regard his multiple suspensions from off-field issues, as well as his struggles staying healthy.
That won't be a problem during this postseason, at least to start. Along with teammates Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, and some other starters, Bell will be rested this week against the Browns. The Steelers are hoping it will translate to a nice, long playoff run with a healthy Le'Veon Bell leading the way.
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