Running back Le’Veon Bell has still not reported to the Steelers as they begin preparations for Week 8, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Bell had been expected to report to the Steelers during the club’s Week 7 bye, but he never actually showed up. The All-Pro back hasn’t been clear about his exact plans, but he’s still likely to show up at some point this season, if not this week. On Sunday, Steelers owner Art Rooney II said he didn’t expect his club to trade Bell, while Bell himself holds something of a no-trade clause, as he can simply not sign his franchise tender until the NFL’s trade deadline passes on October 30.
If Bell does report this week and sign his franchise tag, he’d be entitled to his weekly salary of $855K. However, the Steelers could potentially use a roster exemption for Bell, which would allow the club to withhold his pay. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explained earlier this month, Bell and the Steelers would need to agree to a pay rate if and when Bell is placed on the exempt list. Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported Sunday that Pittsburgh had discussed the terms of a roster exemption with Bell’s agent.
At last check, Bell hasn’t informed the Steelers of his exact plans. However, when he does show up, the Steelers are expected to use a running back tandem of both Bell and incumbent James Conner. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger recently campaigned for Conner, who is currently second in the NFL in rushing touchdowns and sixth in rushing yards per game, to retain a role once Bell returns.
News flash. He’s never gonna report.
Actually I’m pretty sure he has to report by Week 11 in order to still be a FA at the end of the season. He’s probably going to wait till the latest possible time.
News flash that would be the dumbest thing Bell could do. He’s not stupid, just unrealistic about his value. He’ll report after week 10 sometime
I do not have a degree in journalism but I think it would be better to report or write a story about when he reports instead of every day writing a story that he did not report.
eagle fan here
It’s only 10 am ET.
This guy is a joke who does not care about his team in any way. Steelers would be smart to move on from him as quickly as possible now. Get what you can for him in a trade to the Eagles.
They cant trade him until he shows up.. Learn how to read, n not just jump to comment the same generic trade to Eagles everyone has been saying.
Only way Steelers can rid his salary is to renounce the tag and release him for nothing… Yet it would open enough cap space to trade for Patrick Peterson, hypothetically.
So to make it easy for you, they can:
A. Release him for nothing/open cap space
B. Stand pat and wait for him to show up, recieve comp pick when he signs in offseason.
But what is NOT an option:
C. Trade a player who is not under contract… Franchise tender means Steelers offered franchise tag… Even though Bell is obligated to sign it or sit, it does not me that he is currently under contract, therefore they cannot trade Bell until he shows up and signs.. Amen.
Maybe some these fools that keep making silly comments can understand what you just spelled out so eloquently.
only A is an option as they would not receive a comp pick for bell based on the calculator they brought in more comp players than they are losing. This is one of the reasons they were pushing for the trade so much as they get nothing for him when he leaves.
The comp pick would be in the 2020 draft, not 2019, so no one counts against the formula right now. If Bell signs his tender, the Steelers could trade him and hope for a third round pick (what Bell will bring as a compensatory pick in 2020). Bell however has stated he wants to play in Pittsburgh this year, likely to gain as much value with as little use as possible behind a solid offensive line. Bell therefore will likely sign his tender after the deadline passes on the 30th.
Why would the team need to negotiate a salary when he returns? He shouldn’t get a penny more than he deserves under the rules. Of which he knew when he decided to hold out. Screw him
You mad? I hope you don’t get a penny more than you deserve at your job. Hopefully you’re underpaid like most in this country.
You sound like a whiny, entitled millennial. What happened to just doing your job? Show up on time, work to the best of your ability, and do your negotiating behind closed doors.
He did that for 4 years, waited for his contract to end, then he asked for a fair contract and the team, and the team laughed at him and put a franchise tag on him. He responded by saying “I’ll sign this this time because I’m a good sport, but I won’t do it again.” Fulfills his contract with no complaints, the team tries to slap the tag on him again, against their own word, what’s he supposed to do? In case it needs repeating HE FINISHED HIS CONTRACT, TWICE. HE ISN’T UNDER CONTRACT. Anyone else on any other team would have either been resigned, traded, or let go to FA by this point.
Exactly Skull…he sounds like whiny idiot that has NO idea how people who have OPTIONS make business decisions.
Actually he has not finished his contract because he is under UNION NEGOTIATED CONTRACT that every active player has to abide by.
They offered him a record offer last year which if i remember right was double the next highest RB at the time but he wanted more which is his right. If he believes he is worth more then more power to him then turn it down and hope for better.
The steelers franchised him which is their right under the same union contract that the players agreed to (which includes bell).
At this point they are both doing what they believe is in their best interest s the steelers were hoping to have their versatile weapon back, but bell doesnt want the wear and tear that he will endure before next season. Is it fair for this individual probably not but for the players overall to get bigger shares of dollars they had to agree to certain things and this was one of them. Bell should be pissed and sue the Players association for lost wages and not be pissed with the steelers.
I agree for the most part, but it isn’t 2x the next highest contract until year 3, which will be the case for him next year, (because it would be ridiculous, especially since Gurly getting 25mil a year would mean Bell gets 50mil and that would bankrupt any team immediately) it’s the average of the top 5 players at the position, or 12.5mil.
@Roll they may have offered him a bug contract, but if I remember correctly, it was reported that it had little gurantees after year 1
For 2 weeks they do not have to pay him. That’s what would need to be negotiated.
Doesn’t he have to be on the active roster for six games for the season to “count” towards his franchise tag?
For unrestricted free agency. Anything less and he becomes a restricted free agent at the end of the season, if I remember correctly
Only if the team pulls the franchise tag first. As long as he is designated with a franchise tag, it counts.
@skullking not true since he technically isn’t under contract until he signs the franchise tag
but he bears the franchise tag designation. that’s all that matters. If you’re interested, CBS Sports did a report outlining why.
link to cbssports.com
Bell hasn’t reported because he will not pass a drug test. He’s been listening to Bob Marley CDs and smoking spliffs since his holdout.
Somebody needs to tell Bell he gets a better hit if he puts the bong up the other end of his digestive tract.
All you guys do is recirculate the same discussion each week and change the dates. By now, we all know about the details and what each side can/can’t do. Wait to do an article when something actually happens.
Just like you recycle the same Weed comment every time. You don’t know the details of anything, cause you’re an idiot.
Why report now? Why be forced to take just under $1mil/week when you can sit home and take nothing while your replacement does enough to make them not miss the malcontent. He’s ‘showing them’….LOL.
Cause that’s his choice. He can afford not to show up. Do you have the option not to show to your job and still love comfortably? Prob not, so that why your envy is showing in all your silly comments.
Live*
I’m independently wealthy and happily retired, you should quit posting assumptions.
I’m having an affair with Kate Upton. See how that works?
I hope your blowup doll of Colon Kaepernick doesn’t find out you’ve been cheating on him.
Hope he doesn’t show up at all. Let him stay at the house