Nobody is truly certain when or if Le'Veon Bell is going to report and sign his franchise tag with the Steelers.
But one thing is highly likely: Bell will either play for the Steelers or nobody at all this season.
When asked if he expected a trade of the two-time All-Pro running back while attending the NFL meetings in New York earlier this week, Steelers owner Art Rooney II was pretty clear what he felt was going to happen.
"I expect him to be a member of the team going forward," Rooney told NFL.com. "That's my expectation."
That is becoming more likely with every day Bell fails to report and sign his $14.54-million franchise tag deal. The NFL trade deadline is Oct. 30 and the Steelers cannot complete any trade of Bell unless he first signs his contract.
Sources told ESPN.com recently Bell planned to report and sign his deal while the team was on its bye, which took place this weekend. Bell could report sometime this week and then perhaps play in the team's Week 8 game against the Browns. If he does report this week, the Steelers would owe him the prorated portion of his remaining contract, or $9.4 million as of Monday. The Steelers also could ask the NFL for a two-week roster exception to carry Bell while he gets into shape and would not be required to pay him his full salary during that period.
But they would have to activate him to their active roster if they decided to play him.
The Steelers have gotten off to a 3-2-1 start without Bell, with James Conner taking over the bulk of the running back duties.
"I think the team has handled it well," Rooney said. "The players have adjusted, just carrying on without him. That's all you can do. But it's early in the season, we have a long way to go. We just have to keep getting better every week. Can't take anything for granted."
That includes assuming Bell will show up, though he would need to do so by Week 10 if he wants this season to count as a season accrued. Bell also could gamble and sit out the entire season under the hope the Steelers would not choose to use the franchise tag on him a third consecutive season.
The play of Conner, a second-year running back, might make that more likely.
"We've learned that James is a darn good football player," Rooney said. "Happy to have him."
