The Pittsburgh Steelers are reportedly actively shopping running back Le'Veon Bell amid his holdout.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Steelers are now the ones making calls:
Rapoport noted that Pittsburgh's high asking price of at least a second-round pick and a "good player" has prevented anything from getting done thus far.
Bell has yet to report to the Steelers this season after failing to reach an agreement on a long-term contract extension during the offseason.
Another potential sticking point is the team that acquires him cannot negotiate a contract extension until after the season. Bell can still become a free agent during the offseason if he reports by Week 11, meaning the team that trades for him may not have his services until then as well.
If a team does strike a deal for Bell, it will risk potentially having him for only seven games this season before he signs elsewhere in free agency.
Even if Bell is only a rental, though, a team would be getting arguably the best all-around back in the NFL. The 26-year-old is a three-time Pro Bowler who led the NFL in touches last season with 406 and finished with 1,946 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns.
In Bell's place, second-year back James Conner has rushed for 213 yards and three touchdowns while catching 15 passes for 139 yards. Although Conner has filled in admirably, he is averaging only 3.9 yards per carry, and the Steelers are 1-1-1 on the season.
mbaines on September 30th, 2018 at 13:17 UTC »
The steelers sound like everyone in FF trying to make a trade. Totally unreasonable
theincredibleshaq on September 30th, 2018 at 13:12 UTC »
This is a case of starting with an unrealistically high offer, so that the potential middle ground is higher right? If it’s not that he’s not getting traded
iamking1111 on September 30th, 2018 at 13:09 UTC »
Define "good."