Pittsburgh Steelers: Le’Veon Bell contract deadline should be sooner than July 16

PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 08: Dawuane Smoot
PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 08: Dawuane Smoot

If the Pittsburgh Steelers and Le’Veon Bell don’t have a deal done prior to next Monday, chances are they aren’t getting one done.

The July 16 deadline for players and teams to ink long-term contracts is coming quick. With each day that passes there is less and less of a chance the two sides reach an agreement. For many, that means training camp holdouts and frustrations heading into the regular season.

This is no different with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Le’Veon Bell. If the two sides can’t agree on a long-term deal prior to next Monday, Bell isn’t suiting up until Week 1 of the regular season. Meaning another summer is lost, and the likelihood the running back is around for the future is nearly gone.

Meaning there is no time to waste in the following seven days. A deal needs to be in the works every day for the following week. Continued talking is key. Silence is going to lead to wasted time and if nothing is put into place prior to the deadline, there’s a strong possibility it doesn’t get finish.

July 16 shouldn’t be the deadline these two sides are waiting for. Instead, they should be aiming to have something finished by Wednesday or Thursday of this week. That allows both sides to find the perfect contract with a few days remaining. Leaving them with room to tweak anything they need changed before Monday.

There needs to a gap between the end of contract talks and the actual deadline. It’s added security to the situation.

At this point, people don’t expect a deal to ever get done if it isn’t this summer. Bell can find the money he’s looking for with another team. Realistically, he isn’t asking for anything more than he’s worth. Meaning Pittsburgh has no excuse not to sign him, unless they don’t want to.

The two sides need each other this year and moving forward. The success of the franchise is dependent on Bell’s presence the next few years. The fans and the players want to get this done, and the two sides seem pretty eager to making something happen as well.

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It needs to be before Monday, though. Just to make sure. Because at this point, Bell and the Steelers are playing a dangerous game. One that neither side wants to leave with a loss.

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