Bell was slated to make $14.5 million on his second consecutive franchise tag this season. Not surprisingly, that kind of financial commitment combined with their other star players left the Steelers pressed up against the cap. They even restructured a few veterans, notably
Antonio Brown and Cam Heyward, to try to give themselves a bit more flexibility.
But every week Bell didn't show up saved the Steelers money.
As of this moment, the Steelers have around $13.6 million in cap space according to
Spotrac, and most of that came because of Bell missing the season's first 10 weeks. He has already surrendered more than half of his salary, and by missing the season, he will surrender the rest of it. That is around $6 million, taking the Steelers to around $19.6 million in unused space this year. That is relevant because NFL teams are allowed to carry unused cap space over into the next season.