Le’Veon Bell reportedly tagged by Steelers

There’s still optimism that a long-term deal can get done prior to the July 16 deadline, as the two sides reportedly have made progress in recent days and weeks.

The Steelers and Bell have until July 15th to agree upon a multiyear contract.

The Pittsburgh Steelers running back addressed his ongoing contract stalemate with the team Monday night, telling ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler he remains in negotiations over a long-term deal but doesn’t intend to play another season without one.

WASHINGTON: Kirk Cousins’ time with the team is all but over after Washington chose not to use the franchise tag on the quarterback.

Back in January, even before Bell and the Steelers lost to the Jaguars in the divisional round of the playoffs, Bell said retirement would be an option for him if the Steelers placed the franchise tag on him again. But, he also skipped all of the team’s offseason activities, training camp and the preseason, reporting and signing his tender one week before the Steelers played their regular-season opener.

Bell finished the 2017 season as the NFL’s third-leading rusher with 1,291 yards on 321 carries, averaging 86.1 yards per game and 4.02 yards per carry, and scored a career-high nine rushing touchdowns.

In the air, Bell has totaled 2,660 yards on 312 receptions. That’s why the Steelers have been cautious about committing big money to Bell. But it is closing. But without Bell, remaining among the AFC’s elite would be a tall task. But those primes won’t last forever. It also is a position that is hard to value in the National Football League these days.

BILLS: Running back Chris Ivory agreed to a two-year deal with Buffalo two weeks after he was cut by Jacksonville, two seasons into a five-year deal.

The 25-year-old will now receive a one-year contract, thought to be worth $14.5m.

Here are all the players this year who received the tags. He is one of the league’s most valuable players and, in his view, he deserves to be paid as such. But neither are the Steelers. The cost of that franchise tag? Pittsburgh is projected to have $5.1 million of cap space, according to OverTheCap.com, meaning the team needs to cut or restructure deals to make room for Bell. But he has held his ground and the negotiating stalemate has persisted.

Bell now finds himself face to face with career defining decisions to come for the following months.