The Pittsburgh Steelers have dealt with a few issues during this NFL offseason with Ben Roethlisberger's comments about rookie quarterback Mason Rudolph and the ongoing situation with Le'Veon Bell. The star running back wants a lucrative contract extension and isn't budging on his demands for a certain price point.
Bell was franchise tagged for the second straight season and the team will have until July 16 to get a long-term contract extension done. With contract talks ongoing, Bell was absent at OTAs and could miss training camp as well which isn't sitting all that well with his teammates like guard David Castro, via ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
“I don’t know. You look at last year as a pattern, it’s probably not good,” DeCastro said. “It will probably be the exact same. I’d put money on it. But you never know. There’s always a chance.”
Steelers wideout Darius Heyward-Bey also chimed in on Bell's situation and how the team wants to move on and get to work.
“I think last year a lot of guys were like, ‘Oh, Le'Veon's not here,'” Heyward-Bey said. “Nobody cares. We're out here and we have to get work done. … We'll see him when we see him. Next man up.”
At this point, there's no telling how things will pan out between the Steelers and Bell. The two sides want to get a deal done, but only time tell if this is true.
As for Bell's production on the field, the star back is arguably the best player in the NFL at his position. He's a perennial Pro Bowler with multiple All-Pro selections as one of the most versatile backs in the league.
In 2017, Bell rushed for 1,291 yards and nine touchdowns on a career-high 321 carries. The Michigan State product also continued to make an impact as a receiver with 85 receptions for 655 yards and two touchdowns.
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