Steelers Wire
To no one’s surprise, the Pittsburgh Steelers decided not to use the franchise tag this offseason on any of the team’s pending free agents. There’s obviously still time for that to change but this isn’t a group with that sort of player who the team feels they need more time to work out a contract.
Not to mention, the Steelers have been burned before on the franchise tag and learned a hard lesson thanks to running back Le’Veon Bell.
The Steelers placed the franchise tag on Bell in 2017 while the two sides tried to work out a long-term contract. 2017 came and went, Bell finished with a league-high 321 carries and 85 receptions, which was the most for a back.
With no new contract, the Steelers slapped the tag on Bell again in 2018 and he held true to his threat of sitting out the entire season. This was despite the Steelers doing their very best to get Bell the big raise he wanted in a new contract. Instead, Bell bet on himself and it was the beginning of the end for what looked like a Hall of Fame career.
After that two-year debacle, we are sure the Steelers will be in no rush to give any player the tag again.
