The Pittsburgh Steelers are several weeks into training camp, but Le’Veon Bell is nowhere to be found.
Bell has been holding out from team practices as a result of being unhappy with his current contract situation. The Steelers failed to reach a long-term deal with the star running back, in turn opting for the franchise tag.
At this stage in the game, Bell doesn’t have many options. He either can report to the team and sign the franchise tender, or continue his holdout. With this in mind, Pittsburgh general manager Kevin Colbert doesn’t understand the benefit of Bell staying away from the team.
“My feeling is there’s nothing to be gained by a holdout. The situation won’t change, it can’t really change from our part on a long-term deal. So it hurts him not to be here,” Colbert told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “It hurts him because he’s not working with his teammates, he’s not getting the conditioning work that he’s going to need to have a great 2017 season. And he’s not working with his teammates to get acclimated to the offense — every year it’s different.”
The Steelers reportedly offered the two-time Pro Bowl selection a contract that would have made him the highest-paid running back in the NFL, but Bell, for whatever reason, turned it down. Bell still is set to be paid handsomely in the 2017 campaign, though, as the franchise tag would earn him $12.1 million for the season.
But given Bell’s clear frustrations, it looks like Steelers fans might have to wait until September to see him on the football field.
Thumbnail photo via Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports Images
