Even though Le'Veon Bell remains hopeful the Pittsburgh Steelers will eventually get a long-term deal done, he is still not certain he will play a full 2018 NFL season. In light, by franchise tagging Bell, this gives the Steelers until July 16, 2018 to reach a long-term contract extension with its franchise player, as that date is the NFL deadline to do so.
Despite this positivity, Bell has recently reiterated that because the Steelers have just used the franchise tag on him again for the second season in a row, he has not decided whether to play or not this upcoming NFL season, and that his comments back in January 2018 about retiring were not a bluff.
"We're not coming to a number we both agree on—they are too low, or I guess they feel I'm too high," Bell said. "I'm playing for strictly my value to the team. That's what I'm asking. I don't think I should settle for anything less than what I'm valued at."
If this is any indication of last season, Steelers fans can expect Bell to skip the team's offseason program, training camp, and preseason. Fans are hopeful the holdout doesn't bleed into the regular season.
Until a long-term deal gets done, Bell was quoted saying he plans on focusing on his music career during the offseason.
Stay tuned as this story continues to unfold.
