Le'Veon Bell Reportedly to Continue Steelers Holdout Through Week 3 of Preseason

Pittsburgh Steelers star running back Le'Veon Bell reportedly will continue his holdout through the team's third preseason game next Saturday against the Indianapolis Colts, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com.

But Fowler added, "The source would be surprised, however, if Bell isn't back with the Steelers shortly after that, citing his love for football."

And an unnamed Steelers player told ESPN that he expects Bell to return to the team before Labor Day. Additionally, per Fowler, Bell has been texting with his offensive linemen while he remains away from the team.

Bell's holdout is the culmination of a contract dispute with the Steelers after the sides weren't able to work out a long-term extension this offseason. The Steelers then used the franchise tag on Bell, though he has yet to sign his $12.1 million tender.

According to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steelers believed they were close to securing a five-year deal with Bell before the July 17 deadline for signing players on franchise tags to extensions. But per that report, Bell "nixed the contract" at "the last minute."

Bouchette added that the deal "averaged more than $12 million annually" and "would have paid more than $30 million in the first two years." Bell reportedly wants an average of $15 million annually, however.

His agent, Adisa Bakari, disputed that any contract was agreed upon that Bell then rejected, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Bell's holdout likely won't last into the season. He has to sign the franchise tag if he wants to play this season (assuming the Steelers don't rescind the tag, which would be incredibly shocking) and stands little to gain by missing any time in the regular season. In fact, he has plenty to lose—$713,000 in salary each week, as Bouchette noted.