It’s official. It’s finally official. Le’Veon Bell has signed his one year franchise tag, the team announced moments ago.
After failing to reach a long-term deal in July, Bell “held out” for all of camp and the preseason. He reported to the team on Friday, a day without practice, to take and pass his physical. Today, as the Pittsburgh Steelers return to practice, he has signed his tender.
The Steelers have a roster exemption for him, meaning they don’t have to make a corresponding move immediately. Per PR man Burt Lauten, it is a two week exemption though if he’s active for a game, the exemption does not apply. The latter will be the the case this Sunday, meaning the team will make a roster move later in the week to grandfather him onto the 53 man roster.
Bell is set to be a free agent after this season. He is eligible for the franchise tag again, which will pay him a little over $14 million. He’s set to make $12.1 million under the tag in 2017.
