Will Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell report by Tuesday’s 4 p.m. EST deadline? Nobody really knows for sure right now and that includes team president Art Rooney II.
During a Thursday interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Rooney was asked if he thinks Bell will show up by Tuesday afternoon and finally sign his franchise tag.
“I don’t know what his plans are, but I would say at this point we expect him to come back next week,” Rooney II said. “We know he’s back in Pittsburgh and so we’re hoping to have some communications with him over the weekend and we’re kind of expecting he will be back next week.”
Rooney was then asked if there’s a definitive interpretation of the CBA’s franchise tag rule right now as it relates to what the costs in 2019 would be for Bell depending on the outcome of Tuesday.
“I have to say probably not,” Rooney answered. “I mean, were in uncharted territory here in terms of this has never happened before, as far as I know. And so there are questions that we may get to at the end of the season but we’ll cross those bridges when we get to them after the season.”
The only thing anybody really knows for sure about Bell at this point is that he wont play the remainder of this season unless he signs his 2018 franchise tag tender by Tuesday evening and that deadline can’t get here soon enough.
