Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell in action
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell in action

NFL news: Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell sacrifices $14.5m and entire season in contract dispute


Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell will miss out on $14.5m and the entire season after failing to report to the team due to his on-going contract dispute.

Bell played on a one-year franchise tag deal last year when collecting over $12m, and was offered the one-year franchise tag again after turning down a five-year, $70m deal due to what he called a lack of guaranteed money up front.

By failing to report back to the team by now, Bell is unable to play for the rest of the season and also misses out on the entire year’s salary. He's the first player to sit out the season on a franchise tag for 21 years.

"I want to confirm that Le'Veon Bell did not sign his Franchise Tender today and, as a result, he will not be eligible to play football during the 2018 season," Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said in a statement.

It’s a messy situation in Pittsburgh that will only get more complicated before a resolution is found – as Bell is willing to sacrifice the hefty amount of money this year in a bid to get a huge guaranteed deal next season.

As one of the best running backs of the last few years, there should be no shortage of options for Bell but his main problem at Pittsburgh was the emergence of his understudy James Conner.

Not much was expected of Conner so soon but he has stepped up and performed superbly and sits third in the NFL in rushing yards and touchdowns and has even out-performed Bell in some aspects.

The franchise tag, which is worked out by a formula involving the five best-paid players at each position, would net Bell over $25m if he were to be offered one for next season.

With Pittsburgh winning five games in a row there seems more and more chance of Bell’s future lying away from Heinz Field – although much will depend on how Conner finishes the season.

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