The immediate future of running back Le'Veon Bell with the Pittsburgh Steelers remains uncertain. The team is anxious to get a deal done, but whether the two sides see eye-to-eye on a deal during the NFL offseason, remains to be seen.

Bell has been adamant about getting paid what he's worth, and the Steelers brass has yet to meet his number. The perennial Pro Bowler arguably the best player in the NFL at his position and can stand his ground, but there's no telling which side will give in first or if a new deal can get done. Apparently, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert has made it clear that the team wants him to stay in Pittsburgh for the rest of his career and wants to work on a long-term deal, via ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

The Steelers told Le'Veon Bell last month they have a “strong desire” to keep him in a black-and-gold uniform for the rest of his career, general manager Kevin Colbert said.

That means doing a contract extension this offseason, which the team prefers over the franchise tag.

If the Steelers and Bell can't agree upon a long-term contract extension, the team could use the franchise tag for a second straight year on their star running back. Bell would still get paid a premium if he's tagged, but he's looking for long-term security, and it seems like the team is on the same page, via Fowler.

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Colbert notes the team can tag Bell and still sign him long-term but reiterated several times a long-term deal is preferable. That's the goal for Bell, who wants to avoid a repeat of 2017, when the star back missed all of training camp and played on a $12.1 million tag. This year, the tag is projected to fall somewhere around $14.5 million. The team can apply the tag between Feb. 20 and March 6, after which it would have until July 15 to execute a contract.

As for Bell's production, the soon-to-be 26-year-old continues to perform at an extremely high level. Bell is coming off yet another solid season in Pittsburgh in which he racked a career-high 1,946 yards from scrimmage to go along with a career-high 11 total touchdowns.