Ben Roethlisberger Says Le'Veon Bell Didn't Respond to Text Before Deadline

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said he sent a text message to Le'Veon Bell before Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline for the running back to sign his one-year, $14.5 million franchise tag tender, but he didn't receive a response.

On Wednesday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com provided comments from Roethlisberger, who noted he's not going to judge Bell on his decision to sit out the entire 2018 NFL season.

"I texted him, saying I hoped he was going to show up, and if he decided not to, I wished him nothing but the best," Big Ben said. "He was a great teammate and football player."

The 36-year-old signal-caller added now that it's official Bell won't be a member of the Steelers this season, the conversation about him should end, per Fowler.

"The thing about it is he's not here, he's not going to be here, so we don't have to talk about it," Roethlisberger said.

Pittsburgh's offense has continued to run like a well-oiled machine without the three-time Pro Bowl selection.

The Steelers rank fourth in both total offense and scoring offense through 10 weeks, and they've translated that to a 6-2-1 record, good for first place in the AFC North.

James Conner, Bell's backfield replacement, has rushed for 771 yards on 164 carries (4.7 YPA) with 10 touchdowns and caught 39 passes for 387 yards with another score through the air. He's now in line to maintain the starting job for the rest of 2018 and beyond.

"I'm built for it," Conner said of the heavy workload following Pittsburgh's 23-16 win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 9, per Mark Maske of the Washington Post.

Meanwhile, Bell can become an unrestricted free agent at season's end, though the Steelers retain the right to place the franchise tag on him again.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported the more likely endgame is for Pittsburgh to use the transition tag at the same $14.5 million he passed on this year. It would give the team the right to match any offer in free agency, though it's unlikely the front office would given the circumstances.

The bottom line is Conner's success paired with Bell's decision to skip the entire 2018 campaign means he's likely played his final game in a Steelers uniform, one way or another.