Holdout running back Le’Veon Bell is not expected to report to the Pittsburgh Steelers by the Tuesday deadline and thus be ineligible to play for the remainder of the season, ESPN reported Saturday night.
Bell must report by 4 p.m. ET Tuesday or forfeit his opportunity to play for the Steelers this season.
The 26-year-old Bell has refused to sign and play with the franchise tag. But Bell has not spoken publicly about his intentions other than in January when he said he would be willing to sit out the reason rather than play under the tag for a second consecutive season.
With Bell away form the team, James Connor has stepped in and performed admirably, rushing for 771 yards on 164 carries and 10 touchdowns. He’s averaging 4.7 yards per carry.
Bell forfeits $855,000 in salary each week that he’s away from the team, but he has refused to budge.
If Bell remains resolute and fails to show up, his decision would surprise team owner Art Rooney, who said in an interview this week that he anticipated Bell would report this week.
Bell apparently doesn’t want to risk injury while playing in the final year of his contract and hurt his chances in the free agent market.
Bell overcame a slow start last season before finishing with 1,291 rushing yards. He also had 85 receptions for 655 yards and was selected to the Pro Bowl for the third time and was named All-Pro for the second time.
According to ESPN.com, the Steelers made a contract offer last summer and another during the winter starting at approximately $13.3 million per year on average. The Steelers raised their offer slightly, but Bell turned both down. The total offer was reportedly around $70 million, but less than $20 million was guaranteed.
