As expected, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell did not return to the Pittsburgh Steelers before Tuesday's 4 p.m. deadline and cannot play at all this season.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the news.

The news isn't surprising, as Bell gave zero indicators that he was going to return at some point during the 2018 season. Steelers owner Art Rooney did say last week that he expected the 26-year-old Bell to return before Tuesday's deadline, but reports on Monday indicated that he wasn't going to show up after all.

"I want to confirm that Le’Veon Bell did not sign his Franchise Tender today and, as a result, he will not be eligible to play football during the 2018 season," Steelers GM Kevin Colbert said, via NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

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Bell rejected a five-year, $70 million contract in the 2018 offseason. He was expected to sign the franchise tender and play for a $14.5 million salary this season. But in a shocking twist, Bell did not report to the Steelers by Week 1 - despite promising he would sign the tender and show up in time for the start of the season.

Bell figures to be one of the most sought-after free agents in the 2019 offseason, but there's virtually no chance that the Steelers bring him back. Second-year RB James Conner has filled in tremendously, with 771 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the season. Pittsburgh sits second in the AFC with a 6-2-1 record, so Bell's absence hasn't affected them a bit.

What This Means

The Steelers were bracing themselves for no Le'Veon Bell this season, and the entire organization deserves credit for their handling of the situation. They didn't let it distract them, and Pittsburgh shrugged off a sluggish 0-1-1 start to win six of their last seven games - including five in a row.

For Bell, he is arguably the biggest name now available on the 2019 free agent market. But his decision to sit out the entire 2018 season will hurt Bell's value significantly. It hurts his reputation as a player, and he passed on the opportunity to showcase the world class talents one more time before hitting the open market.

Bell's failure to report won't impact the Steelers, whose offense remains among the NFL's elite this season. They're in position to earn a first-round bye as well, so don't think for a second that they're missing Bell.

The only thing left to do now is simply sit back and speculate what Bell's next contract will look like, and which team will give him the money he thinks he's worth.

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