It’s over. Thank God. The Pittsburgh Steelers-Le’Veon Bell soap opera ended today as the 4:00 pm deadline came and went without Le’Von Bell signing his franchise tender. Now Le’Veon Bell cannot play for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2018, and he’ll forfeit the entire 14.5 million he was due under the franchise tag.

• The move also effectively ends Le’Veon Bell’s career as a Pittsburgh Steeler.

In football terms both sides lose here, at least in the short term. While James Conner has excelled in Le’Veon Bell’s absence, the drop off from James Conner to Stevan Ridley and Jaylen Samuels is large. Today the Steelers are legitimate Super Bowl contenders; a serious injury to James Conner immediately downgrades them to a team that, with a few breaks, could win perhaps win a playoff game.

Le’Veon Bell departing the grid iron at Heinz Field. Photo Credit: EPA, via the New York Post

In addition to losing the money, Le’Veon Bell loses a shot at winning a Super Bowl in 2018. While there’s little doubt that some team, awash with salary cap space will offer Le’Veon Bell more than the Steelers were able (or willing) to pay, money won’t buy Bell a championship.

Sure, Le’Veon Bell could find himself with the Eagles or Patriots in 2019. Even the Browns, who have gobs of cap sapce, are broaching respectability, seem to have a legit quarterback and could become formidable by a soon as next year. Ah, but what if the biggest offer comes in from say, the Oakland Raiders….?

• But the post-Pittsburgh Steelers portion of Le’Veon Bell’s story remains to be written, and others will write it.

While yours truly wishes Le’Veon Bell would have come back to play out his franchise tag, I’m also glad the fat lady has sung on this soap opera. The Le’Veon Bell-Steelers story has simply become tedious.

The Le’Veon Bell Soap Opera Hour – a Tedious Affair

Sure, the Steeles misjudged things when they used the 2nd Franchise tag.

But the Steelers sincerely desired to sign Le’Veon Bell to a long term deal. While the Steelers reported offers might not have reached the levels that Franchise Running Backs of yesteryear enjoyed (i.e. Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders, Marshall Faulk), they were ready pay Bell far and above his peers.

As for Le’Veon Bell? Yes, Bell said he would hold out (he also said he’d retire) if he got a 2nd franchise tag. He’s also said a lot of other things, some of them even wrote right side up.

• And that has been the most aggregating plot line of this entire soap opera.

And at almost every stage, Le’Veon Bell’s actions have contradicted his words. Yet that hasn’t stopped both fans and much of the professional press, from hanging on Le’Veon Bell’s every word, acting as if the Burning Bush itself is speaking.

Did Le’Veon Bell show up to start the season as he promised he would? No. Nonetheless, “Sources” indicated he’d show up during the season’s 1st six weeks, and people believed them. Except he didn’t show up. Then Bell himself told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler he was going to show up at the bye week. Everyone bought it, until he didn’t show up.

• Then of course Bell was waiting to darken doors on the South Side until the trade deadline passed. It passed and Bell remained in Miami.

And while we’re at it, did anyone really believe those trade rumors about Le’Veon Bell? I don’t know about you, but those always struck me as more mischief than anything else.

Thankfully, all of that stops today. Sure, they’ll be talk about the Steelers using a third franchise tag on Le’Veon Bell or even the transition tag (again, do does anyone believe that the Steelers really told Le’Veon Bell they were going to transition him in 2019?) But all indications are the Steelers are ready to move on.

• And, while that’s the right move on the part of Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert, that’s a shame.

Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell are probably the three men most responsible (well, you’d have to add Cam Heyward and make it a quartet) for the turn around the franchise has seen since starting 2-6 in 2013.

• It would have been perfect for Pittsburgh to see the Killer Bees standing on the dais, hoisting Lombardi Number Seven together.

That will never happen now. So be it. Finally we can accept it and move on.

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