Steelers are not planning on trading Le’Veon Bell
Le’Veon Bell is not going to play on Sunday and it’s uncertain when he will, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are not taking trade offers right now.
Le’Veon Bell did not report in time to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1, and there are no clear indications when he might show up and sign his franchise tender. Anywhere from Monday morning to Monday morning after Week 10 seems possible.
The Steelers could rescind the franchise tag, or they could trade Bell to team that may give him the long-term contract he’s looking for. But ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported the team doesn’t plan to rescind the tag, and trading Bell is not considered an option either.
There are no indications Bell is trying to force a trade by extending his holdout into the season, with his agent citing a concern about his workload as the Steelers know fully well he won’t be back in 2019. Look no further than the Dallas Cowboys and DeMarco Murray in 2014 to see a reason for that kind of concern.
To anyone suggesting the Steelers trade RB Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh is not even considering that option at this time, per source. No interest in dealing him. Steelers will wait for him, and some around the league believe Bell will be back before end of month.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 9, 2018
Scheft did add the interesting note regarding league-wide optimism Bell will be back before the end of the month. He’ll willingly forfeit game checks until he does report, and the Steelers may be able to use a two game roster exemption to further avoid paying him.
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From a certain perspective, the Steelers may have declared themselves open for business by even addressing the rumors and saying they have no plan to trade Bell. If James Conner performs well against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, some urgency will surely be added to the situation on both ends. Bell may be pushed to report knowing he can be replaced, and the Steelers could be open to the idea of trading him with the thought they have a viable replacement sooner than they expected to have to have one.