The Pittsburgh Steelers reportedly came closer than anyone knew to locking up Le'Veon Bell for the foreseeable future.
On July 17, the deadline to sign franchise-tagged players, the Steelers thought they'd come to terms with Bell's agent on a five-year contract, only for the star running back to nix the deal at the last minute, Ed Bouchette of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
It was reported in mid-July that Bell turned down a five-year deal worth $12 million per season - the highest average for any running back.
Bouchette adds that Bell is seeking $15 million per season, though it wasn't clear why his agent would agree to a lesser deal if his client's demands were set in stone.
Bell's agent Adisa Bakari refuted the report, stating that an agreement was never in place to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
"All stories to (the) contrary are false," Bakari said.
Bell has yet to sign the $12.12-million tag or report to training camp. However, it was reported Thursday he won't miss any regular-season time and Steelers president Art Rooney II said he expects him to return to the team before Week 1.
The 25-year-old is coming off a dominant season in which he led the league in yards from scrimmage following a three-game ban to start the year.
