The Steelers aren’t buying Le’Veon Bell’s threat to retire or sit out the 2018 season if the team uses its franchise tag on him this offseason and they are expected to tag him for the second straight year, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports.
Bell is making $12 million under the franchise tag this season and would earn about $14.5 in 2018 should the Steelers make the same move this year.
From @NFLGameDay: #Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell told @JFowlerESPN this week he may retire if tagged. Well... a franchise tag is likely coming. What happens next? pic.twitter.com/n2UzFTBDgF
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 14, 2018
Bell should proceed with caution. Following through on his threats – which he has since tried to walk back – may not end well for him.
“The Steelers history does not bode well for players who try to sit out the year,” Rapoport said, citing Pittsburgh releasing star running back Franco Harris in 1984 and trading linebacker Mike Merriweather to the Vikings in ’89.
“The Steelers rarely bend,” said Rapoport, and they’re “not expected to do so for Le'Veon Bell.”
Rapoport also pointed out that had Bell agreed to the contract the Steelers proposed last season, he would have made $30 million over this season and next, compared to $26.5 million if he’s tagged two years in a row.