Report: Steelers Won't Rescind Le’Veon Bell Franchise Tender
The Pittsburgh Steelers won't rescind the franchise tender of running back Le'Veon Bell, NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reports.
Bell has not signed the tender, valued at $14.54 million, and has not reported to the team. He has until Week 10 to show up if he wants to earn accrued year toward free agency.
The Steelers open the 2018 season on Sunday against the Clevleand Browns.
If a team rescinds any franchise tender, the player becomes a free agent and can sign with any team.
The Steelers said this week that they were "disappointed" that Bell had not re-joined his teammates in preparation for the season and added that the coaching staff will continue to "focus on preparing the players" for Cleveland.
If Bell does not play Sunday, he is at risk at forfeiting $855,000 in salary.
Whether Bell reports or not, some of his teammates are frustrated with the three-time Pro Bowler.
"What do you do? Here's a guy who does't give a damn, I guess so we'll treat it as such. I just hate it came to this," Steelers guard Ramon Foster said, via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "He's making seven times what I make twice as much as Al (Villanueva) is making and we're the guys who do it for him."
