Le’Veon Bell: 5 best fits in NFL free agency
By John Buhler
Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC, North
Frankly, it may not even be up to Bell for what he does in 2017 NFL free agency. Since he is entering his fifth season as a professional, there is an excellent chance that Pittsburgh will slap him with the franchise tag.
While his production on the field speaks for itself, Bell hasn’t earned the benefit of the doubt to get a long-term deal from the Steelers just yet. He’s been suspended twice for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy in the last two years. Bell hasn’t shown that he can play a full 16-game NFL season.
The franchise tag for an NFL running back would be around $12,000,000 in 2017. It can be a little pricey for a running back, but Bell should at least be worth that to the Steelers. Pittsburgh can afford Bell on a one-year deal worth $12 million.
The Steelers are middle of the pack in terms of the salary cap with a projected $35,458,048 worth of space. Is Bell worth a third of the Steelers’ cap space? That’s a tough conundrum to navigate. Pittsburgh is a good team and a great organization, but the Steelers have to consider all courses of action regarding their starting running back.
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It would certainly be strange to see Bell playing for somebody else. For the sake of not letting him walk out of town for nothing a year early, Bell for $12 million feels like a deal that Pittsburgh is going to make. If they lose Bell, that might be the end for the Super Bowl aspirations of the Roethlisberger era in Pittsburgh.