Appearing at the Hampton Roads Youth Foundation football camp over the weekend, Steelers HC Mike Tomlin told WAVY Channel 10 that he would like the Steelers to sign LeVeon Bell to a long-term contract before Monday's 4 p.m. ET deadline.
"Obviously we want to get a deal done, he wants to get a deal done; everybody has said that," said Tomlin, who returns to his hometown of Hampton, Virginia, every summer for the camp. "Now it's just about the negotiators getting into a room and doing what it is they need to do. I'm excited and hopeful. Hopefully we'll have some exciting news before Monday."
As the Steelers and Bell are pressed against the deadline for the second straight year, the running back is prepared to play on this year's tag—worth $14.5 million—in the absence of what he considers a fair deal. Bell told ESPN this offseason that he won't sign an extension offer worth less than the tag number on an annual basis. Talks stalled in the spring after Bell turned down an offer, but both sides reopened negotiations over the past week, according to the story.
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