Yesterday, the Pittsburgh Steelers made it official and gave their star RB Le’Veon Bell the franchise tag for the second year in a row.
The Steelers and Bell have until July 16 to agree on a multi-year deal.
The tag for Bell is worth $14.544 million for the 2018 season.
The 26-year-old Bell rushed for 1291 yards and nine touchdowns last season with Pittsburgh.
Falcons WR Julio Jones believes Bell should get a new contract and thinks the NFL should do away with the franchise tag.
“I wish they would do away with the franchise tag,” Jones told TMZ Sports.
From a player perspective, I would want to get rid of the tag, too. These players only have a short window to maximize their earning potential. The tag limits the opportunity to get the most guaranteed money as possible.
In the case of Bell, he is one of the best running backs in football. He is a big part of what the Steelers do on offense. However, due to injury and suspensions, the Steelers have been reluctant to give Bell a long-term term.
Recently, Bell told Billboard the following:
“When the end of July comes, wherever we’re at … if I sign, everybody’ll be happy, but if not, I guess I gotta play it by ear,” Bell told Billboard. “If I’ll be out till Week One, if I’ll be out till Week Ten, or if I’m gonna be there at all. It depends on how I feel at that time and moment.”
The two sides have few months to get a deal done, so I think when it’s all said and done, Bell gets paid.
Here is more information about how the franchise tag works: