If the Steelers don't come to terms with Le'Veon Bell on a new long-term contract before July 17 he will play for $12.1 million next season on the franchise tender the Steelers extended earlier this year. If they wanted to place the franchise tender on him again following next season they would have to pay him $14.5 million on another one-year deal because the second time a player is tagged he receives 120 percent of his previous year's salary.
The Steelers will be happy to pay Bell his $12.1 this year, but there are no guarantees Bell will remain with the Steelers after that. Bell's injury and suspension history have to be taken into consideration as well as the fact that he'd be making nearly twice as much as any other running back in the league if they extended the tag again.
This very well could be the final season the Steelers have Bell and the other "Killer B's" in their offensive arsenal. With that in mind, the Steelers should approach training camp with one goal in mind: keep Bell, Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant healthy at all costs.
Put them in bubble wrap if necessary until the regular season begins Sept. 10 in Cleveland.
It just might be the difference between being the top seed in the AFC or just another playoff team in a competitive conference that features defending Super Bowl champion New England and other worthy challengers such as the Oakland Raiders.
Since 2014, the Steelers have employed some of the top offensive players in the game, but they haven't played together enough for the Steelers to get to a Super Bowl. Whether it has been injuries or self-inflicted wounds such as drug suspensions, the Steelers haven't reaped the full benefits of their star quartet for very long during the current three-year playoff streak.
Just call the Steelers star-crossed. The Big Four haven't been together on the field since Nov. 1, 2015. That was the day Bell injured his knee and was lost for the season in a game against the Bengals at Heinz Field.
The last time they played a full game together? Well, you have to go all the way back to Dec. 21, 2014. The Steelers beat the Chiefs, 20-12, at Heinz Field. The next week, in their AFC North-clinching victory against the Bengals, Bell was lost for the season with a knee injury.
When they were all healthy in 2014, the Steelers offense was nearly unstoppable. Once Bryant was inserted into the lineup in Week 6 and before Bell was injured the Steelers had some of their most prolific offensive performances in franchise history. In that 10-game stretch, the Steelers went 8-2. In those 10 contests the Steelers averaged 31.2 points per game. They scored 30 points or more five times in that stretch, including a season-high 51 in a lopsided win over the Colts.
In addition to the Big Four reuniting, the Steelers are excited about the possibilities for the offense for other reasons. The slot receiver on that 2014 team was Lance Moore and the third receiver was Markus Wheaton. It's easy to see why there is so much anticipation about what the 2017 Steelers offense might do with Eli Rogers and JuJu Smith-Schuster replacing them.
The only position on offense where the Steelers are weaker in 2017 is tight end. Heath Miller was still a very productive player during the 2014 season. Jesse James has proven to be solid in his stint as a starter, but no one is comparing him to Miller, the franchise's best-ever tight end.
But really, that's it. One can make an argument the Steelers are as strong or stronger at every other skill position as well as the offensive line.
The Steelers will be smart in how they approach the preseason. They won't expose their Big Four to many snaps in meaningless games or practices.
Sometimes, teams learn the hard way. In August of 2015, the Packers and Steelers played a preseason game at Heinz Field. The Steelers lost All-Pro center Maurkice Pouncey for the season and the Packers lost receiver Jordy Nelson for the season.
The Steelers and Packers made the playoffs and each won a game as wild cards, but could not advance past the divisional round of the playoffs. Who knows what would have happened if a couple of the league's premier players were healthy.
The Steelers have Super Bowl aspirations in 2017. They can't protect their stars during the regular season, but they can pack the bubble wrap and bring it to Saint Vincent College.
