To the surprise of, well, apparently the national media, Le'Veon Bell is unlikely to report to the Steelers by Tuesday's 4 p.m. deadline, meaning he won't be playing football in 2018.
It also means he's played his last game in a Steelers uniform.
ESPN's Adam Schefter is the latest to come to that conclusion, reporting Saturday night that league sources have told him they don't expect Bell to report and sign his franchise tag deal. That would mean Bell would be unable to not only play for the Steelers this season, but anywhere else, as well.
That has been apparent for quite some time since Bell has already forfeited more than $8 million of the $14.54 million he would have earned this season under the franchise tag. The Steelers had placed the franchise tag on Bell for the second consecutive season after paying him $12.1 million under the franchise tag last season.
Bell and his agent, Adisa Bakari, have both said repeatedly the running back expected to play this season. But the emergence of James Conner in the Steelers' offense has put Bell in a tough situation in terms of a return.
And team president Art Rooney II said earlier this week on Sirius XM he expected Bell to sign by Tuesday.
If he was to sign his deal, the Steelers are unlikely to supplant Conner as the starting running back. He leads the AFC in rushing yards and touchdowns.
That would make Bell a part-time player, something that's unlikely to help his bargaining power as a free agent in 2019, despite opening him up to potential injuries — something he has tried to avoid by not reporting.
And because the Steelers would have to pay Bell upwards of $25 million if they place the franchise tag on him a third time, he knows that's not going to occur. So, Bell knows he's going to hit free agency in 2019 regardless of whether he plays a down this season or not.
The Steelers, however, won't rescind their franchise tag offer to Bell after the deadline since that would mean they would lose any rights for compensation.
If Bell signs with another team in the offseason, the Steelers could potentially receive a compensatory pick as high as at the end of the third round.
The Steelers also could place the transition tag on Bell at the end of the season. That would give them first right of refusal on any contract he might receive in free agency. But if they choose not to match the deal, they would not receive a compensatory pick in return.
But, the Steelers could match the deal and then work out a trade with the team that signs Bell.
They could have the available cap space because the team has recouped $855,000 in cap space for each week Bell has not reported -- the equivalent of his weekly salary. If he does not report by Tuesday, the Steelers will eventually gain $14.54 million in cap space this season. Teams can roll any unused portion of their salary cap in a given season into the next year, meaning Bell not signing his deal would give the Steelers at least $14.54 million in additional cap space in 2019.
