The Pittsburgh Steelers have quite the offseason ahead of them if they are to solidify their championship-caliber team moving forward. Of course, their first order of business will be signing running back Le'Veon Bell to a lucrative contract extension.

There has been optimism from both sides regarding the potential long-term deal. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, general manager Kevin Colbert is hoping to get it done by March 6, which is the deadline to designate a franchise player:

“I don't like to get into too much detail,” Colbert said. “I can say that I am optimistic that we can find common ground. Those things are never final until they are final. Until we reach an agreement we don't have anything right now.”

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The Steelers had placed the franchise tag on Bell last offseason, which paid him $21.1 million for the 2017 NFL season. This year's number projects to be around $14.5 million, but Bell has been adamant about not wanting to play under the tag. That said, it would likely be in the interest of both parties to get a deal done by the deadline to avoid any further headlines.

Bell is looking to be the highest-paid running back in the NFL. That distinction currently goes Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman, who is making upwards up $8.2 million per season.

Needless to say, Bell's number figures to be larger than Freeman's by a pretty solid margin, and for good reason. He has been one of, if not the most dynamic running back in the NFL since entering the league in 2013. Despite missing a handful of games with injury and disciplinary issues throughout his career, Bell has racked up nearly 8,000 yards from scrimmage and 42 touchdowns.