The Pittsburgh Steelers and running back Le’Veon Bell were unable to reach an agreement on a long-term contract yesterday, as the topic du jure. Ian Rapoport reported that the team raised its final offer from five years, $60 million last season to five years, $70 million, averaging $14 million per season.
Bell, however, said earlier this offseason that he would not accept a contract that averaged less than he was making on the franchise tag this season, which is $14.5 million. And Rapoport said that in spite of the fact that the Steelers raised their offer, the two sides were actually closer to finalizing a contract last year than they were yesterday.