It appears that the contract negotiations between the Pittsburgh Steelers and superstar running back Le’Veon Bell will come right down to the wire today and it is hard to tell just how things will play out.
The Steelers have until 4 pm today to reach an agreement with Bell, which is the franchise-tag deadline for the two sides to reach a deal.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the ongoing discussions are “too close to call”.
Bell would earn $12.1 million with the tag and although talks are ongoing it appears that the feeling is that no deal will be done.
“(It’s) too close to call right now on whether Bell will get that blockbuster long-term extension to keep him in Pittsburgh for a long time,” Rapoport said, according to NFL.com’s Kevin Patra (h/t The Score).
“Whether or not he’s going to have to go year by year on the franchise tag, this is a tough one because the tag is $12 million, far higher than any running back on the market makes right now. So Bell (is) already the highest-paid running back, (and he) would like to be the highest-paid running back on an extension. We’ll see if they get a deal done by 4 p.m. (ET). No word yet on whether it’s going to happen.”