Pittsburgh Steelers plan to transition tag Le’Veon Bell in 2019
Le’Veon Bell wants to retire as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and believe it or not, he might.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler finally broke the silence. After weeks of guessing whether or not Le’Veon Bell was going to return, the ESPN reporter spoke on the phone with the running back, who remains in Florida during his off-time.
The phone call allowed Bell to announce his return for Week 8. Pittsburgh will take on the Cleveland Browns in the first game with their Pro Bowl running back.
Bell also told Fowler he will try to make amends with his teammates. After no contact with the team during their first four weeks of the season, plenty of players have openly criticized Bell’s decisions. He says he will speak with whoever wants an explanation, to educate them on why he sat out.
The most surprising news of the interview was the Steelers’ plans for next offseason. While the team has made it known they will consider trading Bell, they told him differently when negotiating this offseason.
According to Fowler, Bell explained that Pittsburgh will not be franchise tagging him again, but instead, will transition tag him in 2019. This will allow Bell to negotiate with other teams, while protecting the Steelers from losing their running back.
This puts the control in the hands of the team. Bell believes he’ll receive the money he’s looking for come March. If he does, Pittsburgh will have the opportunity to match that paycheck and keep Bell moving forward.
"“The Steelers told Bell during franchise tag negotiations that they would transition tag him in 2019, which would set the stage for Bell to negotiate with other teams while Pittsburgh holds his rights.”"
If Bell doesn’t receive a contract from another team, he will earn 120% of his 2018 salary. If he plans to show up before Week 7, that number will be $11.2 million.
Bell believes chances are still high that he remains in Pittsburgh. Despite the controversy the two sides have faced over the last two years, he says he believes the team still wants him around.
"“I could be naïve or hopeful, but at the end of the day I feel like that’s what’s going to happen. I don’t think they really want me gone. That could be me being prideful. But I’m still holding out hope.”"
Next. Bell's return leaves questions for Steelers. dark
They’ll need to match another offer if Bell’s assumptions are right. Putting Pittsburgh in an interesting position come March.