Le'Veon Bell Says Steelers Need to Capitalize on Window to Win Super Bowl

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell wants his team to make the most of its playoff appearance this season, because the Steelers' Super Bowl window won't be open forever.

"We understand we have a great group here," Bell said, per ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler. "We don't know if everybody is going to be back or if we're going to be that special next year. The time that we do have, we have to make it all count. Everybody in this locker room understands that, so we have to go out there and do it."

The Steelers are embarking on their fourth straight trip to the postseason, and Pittsburgh has reached the playoffs in all but three of Mike Tomlin's 11 years as head coach. Outside of the New England Patriots, there isn't a more consistent winner in the AFC.

At the same time, Bell and his teammates are right to feel a little bit of pressure to strike while the iron is hot.

There's no guarantee the two-time All-Pro running back will be in the Steel City beyond this season. He's a free agent in the offseason, though it's likely the Steelers will offer him the one-year, $14.54 million franchise tender.

Bigger than Bell's future is that of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who turns 36 on March 2. Roethlisberger indicated Wednesday he could be back with the team in 2018, per Fowler:

But he acknowledged last summer retirement could be a possibility after the 2017 season ends, so it wouldn't be shocking if he walked away after 14 seasons.

Should Roethlisberger return for 2018, the Steelers will likely remain a playoff team. But it's also probably fair to say Pittsburgh won't be this good—winning 13 games and finishing second in the AFC—so 2017 may arguably be the Steelers' last best chance to win a Super Bowl with their current core group of stars.