The National Football League has seen a couple of trades recently and one player who could be next is Le'Veon Bell of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has yet to show up this season and the latest on him is that the 26-year-old running back will wait for the NFL trade deadline instead.
Despite his absence, the Steelers have managed without him. In fact, Pittsburgh finds itself in first place of the AFC North without Bell as a result of contract disputes, CBS Sports said. With Bell nowhere in sight during the team's Monday morning practice, he has now been missing the entire season.
Prior to that, Bell had already insinuated that he will continue to hold out unless a new contract comes his way. The franchise tag was used on Bell back in March and ironing things out should have been done by July 15 at the latest. And as most know, nothing has materialized.
With Bell out, Pittsburgh hopes that its magical run continues when they face the Cleveland Browns at Week 8. While there is still time for Bell to mend fences, NFL Media's Jim Trotter, the plan is to stay away until after this week, and likely after the trade deadline.
There is belief that Bell does not want to be traded and the holdout is all tied up to the money he stands to get. With the franchise tag on him for the second straight season, Bell would be paid $14.54 million for this season, roughly depriving him of $855,000.
With the Steelers and Bell seemingly far from settling things, trade theories have surfaced. According to USA Today, a suggested move could see Bell heading to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for running back Ty Montgomery and a second-round pick.
It is one of many scenarios for Bell. For the Packers, it makes sense since Montgomery carries an expiring contract and a future pick would be a minor loss in exchange for an All-Pro player.
Overall, the Packers don't really need to pull off the trade. Aside from Montgomery, they do have the options to complement the offense with Aaron Rodgers - all depending on what coach Mike McCarthy has in mind.
While it looms as a sensible deal, seeing it come to fruition is perceived as a long shot for now. The fact remains that Bell is holding out for a better contract. Pittsburgh has been going great without him, meaning his holdout hardly creates a dent on the Steelers' run.
