If you’re trying to digest Friday’s news about Le’Veon Bell — he turned down a five-year deal that’d have made him the highest-paid NFL running back by more than $4 million annually, reports the Post-Gazette’s Ed Bouchette — there are two big things to keep in mind.
One: This is a move by the Steelers to put the squeeze on Bell. Even though he’ll eventually sign his $12.12 million franchise-tag deal and report to the team (and he’s expected to do that before the start of the regular season), this is all, at best, a mid-grade mess for everyone involved.