Schefter: How Le'Veon Bell's Contract Holdout Impacts 2019 Salary

The longer Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell holds out, the more it could adversely impact his salary in 2019.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Bell's holdout could result in a significant drop in pay if the Steelers or another team uses the transition tag on him.

As noted by Schefter, the transition tag pays a player 120 percent of the salary he earned the previous season.

Since Bell is set to miss his fourth consecutive game this week, the most he can make this season is $11.1 million.

In that case, he would make $13.3 million on the transition tag next season, which is less than the $14.5 million franchise tender he has refused to sign for this season.

If Bell doesn't report until the halfway point of the season, he would only make $9.2 million on the transition tag next season.

On Sunday, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the Steelers were actively shopping Bell in hopes of landing a "good player" and second-round draft pick in return:

If a team trades for Bell this season, it would be taking a risk on multiple fronts.

Bell doesn't have to report until Week 11 in order to hit free agency during the offseason, and since a team cannot negotiate an extension with Bell until the 2018 season is over, there is no guarantee he won't sign elsewhere.

One way to ensure Bell doesn't hit the open market would be to use the transition tag, though that likely wouldn't sit well with Bell given his unwillingness to play under the franchise tag this season.

If a team does transition Bell, Schefter added that Bell could appeal to an arbitrator and potentially earn more than the tag dictates.