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PITTSBURGH – The & # 39; Veon Bell has officially left $ 14.5 million on the table.
The half-defender All-Pro failed to get to the Pittsburgh Steelers' headquarters on Tuesday at 4pm. AND, the deadline for him to play this season on the label of the franchise.
"I want to confirm that" Veon Bell has not signed his franchise agreement today and that he will therefore not be able to play football during the 2018 season, "said the General Manager of Steelers, Kevin Colbert, in a statement.
Bell, who is currently in Pittsburgh, is missing the season to preserve his long-term viability for a contract in 2019, although he announced to ESPN on October 1 that he would play in 2018.
"I will be fully engaged and give you everything I have," Bell says. "I still want to go and win a Super Bowl with the Steelers."
The Rocky franchise negotiations have created a distance between Bell and the Steelers. Bell missed the training camp of 2017 when both parties could not agree on a contract. He finally played with a tag of $ 12.12 million. He went one step further this year by missing games after he turned down a bid of $ 70 million over five years because of what Bell calls a $ 17 million low collateral. Bell could stay away because it was not signed.
The Steelers planned to negotiate with Bell before the October 30 trading deadline, but no agreement was possible without his signature. A third franchise tag in 2019 would reach $ 25 million or more, according to a formula involving the five highest-paid players in the league, regardless of whether Bell played a setback or not in 2018. In mid-season, the Steelers will consider a a $ 14.5 million transition label that allows them to match any Bell outdoor offer or let them walk freely. If he signed a lucrative contract elsewhere, the Steelers would receive a choice of intermediate compensating repechage.
When asked what would happen if Bell never returned to the Steelers, head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday afternoon, "so be it."
The replacement of Bell, James Conner is third in the NFL in rushing yards (771) and touchdowns (10). He also leads the league with eight races over 20 yards.
His teammates have already imagined the possibilities of an All-Pro tailback and an emerging weapon working together. Now, after five consecutive wins, they have gone beyond this fantasy.
"I will not comment on anyone who is not in this locker room at the moment," quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said of Bell after the 52-21 win over the Carolina Panthers, Thursday.
Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster last month: "[In Conner]you have a young man who proves what he can do to Steeler fans and the nation. "
The players were surprised when Bell did not participate in the first week of play, his own offensive line having torn him for the absence. Guard Ramon Foster and center Maurkice Pouncey both described the move as selfish. A veteran player told ESPN anonymously: "He screwed us up."
Things have cooled since then and many have said that they would like Bell's return. This is a moot point now.
Bell, who will turn 27 in February, was training in South Florida and, in July, via social media, this year, his tweets would be his "best so far".
Bell was close to 2,000 rushing yards last year, but started slowly, averaging 3.46 yards per race in the first three weeks of the season. Bell's average of 128.9 yards per game between 2013 and 2017 is the highest for an NFL comeback in the first five seasons of her career since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970.
Until late last week, the Steelers were preparing for the return of Bell, who had played basketball at a LA Fitness local fitness club last week. But Adam Schefter, an ESPN NFL insider, reported this weekend that it was unlikely that Bell would show it.
"I do not know what his plans are, but I would say that at this point, we expect him to come back next week," said Thursday the team's president, Art Rooney II, on SiriusXM NFL radio. "We know he's back in Pittsburgh, and we hope to be able to communicate with him this weekend, and we expect him to come back next week."
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