Kevin Colbert has warned the Pittsburgh Steelers will not trade disgruntled WR Antonio Brown on the cheap
Thursday 21 February 2019 13:58, UK
The Pittsburgh Steelers will not place a franchise or transition tag on running back Le’Veon Bell, paving the way for him to become a free agent, general manager Kevin Colbert has confirmed.
Bell declined to sign his franchise tender last season, which would have seen him earn $14.5m, and sat out the entire season.
In Bell's absence, 2017 third-round pick James Conner earned a Pro Bowl nod after putting up 1,470 yards from scrimmage with 13 touchdowns, while rookie Jaylon Samuels also showed promise.
That has convinced the Steelers - who are currently projected to have just over $10m in cap space in 2019 - that the time is right to move on from Bell.
"Le'Veon is still a great player," Colbert said. "We can't afford to use any other type of tags. Le'Veon will be an unrestricted free agent at the start of the new league year."
Bell, who turned 27 on Monday, rushed for 5,336 yards and 35 touchdowns over five seasons with the Steelers, while also catching 312 passes for 2,660 yards and seven touchdowns.
He will be the top free agent running back on a market also expected to include players like Mark Ingram, Tevin Coleman, C.J. Anderson, Jay Ajayi and Adrian Peterson.
The Steelers also look likely to lose star wide receiver Antonio Brown, in addition to Bell.
Brown, whose future with the organisation has been in doubt since he controversially missed the Steelers' Week 17 game against the Cincinnati Bengals last season, met with owner Art Rooney in Florida on Tuesday and agreed it was time for him to "move on" from Pittsburgh.
But Colbert had a message for Brown, who has three years remaining on his contract with the Steelers, saying the disgruntled wideout would not be traded away on the cheap.
"We're all disappointed we're at this point. How things transpired, we're all disappointed," Colbert said of the situation with Brown.
"Respectfully, we did agree to look into a trade [and it] would probably be the best course of action for both sides.
"By no means are we going to make a trade or any type of move that will not be beneficial to the Pittsburgh Steelers organisation.
"We will not be discounting you on the trade market and we will not release you.
"We are not going to move a significant player for less than significant compensation."
Brown wants any team acquiring him to renegotiate his contract, which has three years worth a combined $38.9m remaining, none of which is guaranteed.
But his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, says the Steelers must agree on trade compensation before he can engage with any prospective suitors.
"I presently do not have permission to talk to teams or work on trade," Rosenhaus said. "That'll be something that the Steelers handle directly with teams and when a team calls me, that's when I'll do my job."
Sky Sports coverage of the NFL will continue through the off-season as we track the player moves and the storylines in the build-up to the 100th year of the NFL - and we will have all three days of the NFL Draft covered in April.
