Le’Veon Bell won’t hit free agency after getting franchise tag from Steelers

Le’Veon Bell, the Pittsburgh Steelers running back who led the league with 157 yards from scrimmage per game, isn’t going anywhere. Rather than let him hit free agency, the team has given Bell the franchise tag, the team announced Monday. He is projected to make just over $12 million under the tender, which isn’t as much as he was hoping for when he released the song “Juice” last offseason.

In the rap song, Bell said he wants to make $15 million a year. However, during an interview with ESPN, Bell said, “I’m not a real greedy guy.”

“I don’t play football for money or things like that. I just want to be valued.”

Pittsburgh and Bell have until July 15 to work out a long-term deal. If both sides fail to agree to a new contract by that date, then Bell will play under the franchise tag for the 2017 season.

In December, there were reports going around saying Pittsburgh would probably use the franchise tag on the 25-year-old runner and work on signing him to a new deal in the offseason.

The two-time Pro Bowler is a game-changer at the running back position and finished fifth in the league with 1,268 yards rushing yards despite missing four games. He can line up as a receiver and catch passes out of the backfield. This past season, he hauled in 75 passes for 616 yards and two touchdowns.

Bell is a ferocious runner with speed and patience, like when he turned a potential 2-yard loss into a 5-yard gain against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 16.

However, he has been suspended twice in his career. Bell served a three-game suspension in 2016 for missing a drug test. He was also suspended for two games in the 2015 season due to DUI and marijuana possession charges. If Bell gets suspended one more time, he will have to sit out for 10 games.

Bell also has been plagued with the injury bug a few times in his short career. In November of 2015, he tore his MCL and was placed on injured reserve. He also hyperextended his knee late in the 2014 season.

Due to injuries, Bell only just made his playoff debut this season — and he shined. In his first postseason game, Bell broke a Steelers playoff rushing record, running for 167 yards in the AFC Wild Card game against the Miami Dolphins.

Bell has only played a full 16-game season in 2014, when he ran for 1,361 yards and eight touchdowns that season. When healthy, he is one of the most dangerous players in the league and he’s a weapon the Steelers don’t want to let slip away. Bell is the catalyst of an explosive offense and along with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and receiver Antonio Brown, he makes up one-third of the Three B’s on Pittsburgh’s offense.

The Steelers may want to see if Bell can stay out of trouble this offseason before signing him to a long-term deal. If so, Pittsburgh should have no problem locking down its best player to a huge contract — even if it’s not $15 million a year.