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Le'Veon Bell has made the Bowl Pro three times in five seasons. (Doug Benc / Associated Press)
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Sports report covering national topics, more supporting areas of D.C.-area teams
Le'Veon Bell is reportedly back in Pittsburgh. But the disgruntled running back would still be rather post tweets than report to the Steelers.
A terse Twitter post by Bell on Monday, in which he farewell to Miami, where he had been training while holding out of his NFL team, gave many the impression that his next stop would be Pittsburgh. That seems to have been the case, but so far, he has been more interested in playing basketball than the sport he could have been making millions by playing this season.
He also was interested in a documentary about the length of his absence from the Steelers, who placed a $ 14.55 million franchise tag on Bell this summer after failing to come to an agreement on a long-term contract. With a eye towards getting a lucrative deal from another team next spring – as long as it stays healthy – the three-time Pro Bowler has gone so far to sign the one-year offer, in the process costing himself over $ 855,000 each week since the regular season began.
"I'm not apologizing for what I believe is right for myself," The Bell said in a Twitter post rendered in upside down text. "Also if you're really finding time to figure out what I'm saying, you've proved my point."
According to ESPN 's Jeremy Fowler, who noted that there was no indication that Bell had visited the team' s facility, "he 's a Pittsburgh – based manager who' s confirmed that Bell was shooting hoops there on Tuesday. He has just arrived this coming Tuesday, Nov. 13, to be with the Steelers if he wants to play football, but there could be significant financial incentives for him.
As Fowler pointed out, the Steelers would be more likely to place a third straight franchise tag on Bell, because it would be worth $ 20 million, an exorbitant sum for a non-quarterback, for the 2019 campaign . The team would have the option, though, of applying a transition tag, which would mean paying 120 percent of its previous salary.
Because it was $ 12.1 million, so the transition tag would garner him around $ 14.5 million next year. However, it is expected that six games at full pay, that would mean he earned $ 5.13 million this year, and 120 percent of that would be roughly $ 6.2 million.
If that's how it plays out, Bell and the players' union is going to be quite a bit of a gamble. season. Doing so, though, would cost him a year of NFL service, which would have implications for his pension, health care benefits, 401 (k) plan and other financial calculations.
There has been some speculation that Bell and the Steelers may have already come to an informal understanding, in which they agree to simply allow him to stay on the road. season. It is possible, if the Steelers have yet to clearly signal that they are willing to go along with this arrangement, that it is in the process of becoming so.
The Steelers would have a chance to have a good time in the world, with a record of 5-2-1 record in his absence, James Conner making his own Pro Bowl bid. When Bell did not report before Week 1, he was submitted to some criticism from some teammates, and he might prove to be an awkward, if not outright divisive, presence in Pittsburgh's locker room.
"This Le'Veon thing is just a cloud over us at this point," un unidentified Steelers player said Wednesday to NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala. "Just make a decision, sign or not, be in or out, and let's all move forward."
"Bell said in my life and worried about what I'm doing …" Reviews another of his upside-down Twitter posts. "But most people do not take the time to just read the lines … and that's clearly on them."
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