Back in March, the Pittsburgh Steelers made a move that most saw coming. The team decided to franchise tag Le'Veon Bell for the second straight year setting up a timetable for discussion regarding a lucrative contract extension.
Although the team and Bell have until July 16 to come to terms on a multi-year deal, there doesn't appear to be any significant movement in the right direction. Steelers GM Kevin Colbert addressed the situation with Bell and how there's still nothing new to report, via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk.
That pretty much catches things up regarding where things stand with Bell. Colbert said there were “no updates to provide” about talks with Bell on a new deal or anything else having to do with the running back and said the draft has their full attention at the moment.
Under the franchise tag, Bell will earn a hefty sum in 2018. The superstar running back will bring in $14.5 million next season if a long-term deal isn't done by July's deadline. At this point, It seems the Steelers are willing to play things out, and there's no telling if a contract extension will ultimately get done in the coming months.
In 2017, Bell continued to put up some incredible numbers. Bell has become a lethal component of the Steelers offense as both a major threat as a runner and a receiver.
The dual-threat back had a career-high 321 carries this past season rushing for 1,291 yards and nine touchdowns at an average of 86.1 yards per game. Along with his solid production on the ground, Bell hauled in a career-high 85 receptions during the 2017 campaign for 655 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
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