The saga which surrounds the Pittsburgh Steelers and their All-Pro running back Le’Veon Bell can truthfully be traced back two years when the two parties were unable to get a deal done before the franchise tag was placed on No. 26.
Things have escalated this year with Bell holding out well into the regular season, and with no end in sight.
The Steelers have always said they aren’t looking to trade their talented running back, but Adams Schefter of ESPN is reporting things are starting to change on this front.
Steelers now listening to trade offers for RB Le’Veon Bell, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 23, 2018
The Steelers’ players have been vocal about Bell not showing up when he said he was going to, and the team has made some slight gestures showing their displeasure of Bell’s absence. It started with them leaving Bell off the depth chart, and then the team not even putting his name on the roster.
Could the Steelers find a team willing to trade for Bell? A lot would need to take place before this would happen.
Bell hasn’t signed his franchise tag tender yet, and this would have to take place before a trade occurs. In other words, a deal would have to be done, approved by Bell and his team, and a sign-and-trade would then take place. Once Bell signed his tender, he would be traded to whichever team was willing to pony up the money for Bell.
The likelihood of this happening is rare, considering Bell’s asking price, but there might just be a team out there with salary cap space who doesn’t want to let Bell hit the open market and get outbid in free agency next season.
In the meantime, don’t fault the Steelers for trying to get something for Bell. His absence has been an issue all offseason, and now during the regular season. It is possible for the team to have reached its tipping point throughout this saga.
Stay tuned to BTSC as this story continues to unfold.