AP

Maybe he feels like he owes them for the three games he missed because of a drug suspension, or maybe he just loves the friendly local drivers.

Whatever the reason, Le’Veon Bell doesn’t want to leave Pittsburgh.

Via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, the Steelers running back said he’s not looking to leave town as a free agent this offseason.

“I want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler,” Bell said. “We’re going to try to do whatever it takes to make that happen.”

It might take quite a lot with the season he’s having. He leads the league with 157.0 yards from scrimmage per game, with 1,884 yards and nine touchdowns in only 12 games (missing three from the suspension, and this week’s which he’s being parked for).

And unless the Steelers use the franchise tag on him (for $12.37 million), there’s going to need to be a big deal coming for the guy who won the team version of the MVP yesterday.

“That I haven’t even played the full season this year coming off injury and suspension and they still voted me the team’s MVP means everything in the world to me,” Bell said. “Those guys know I’ve overcame a lot of obstacles, they know the things I went through with social media and people on the outside, whatever it was, overcoming my knee in training, I think those guys respect the way I handled myself over the course of this year.”

Last year’s knee injury might have been a factor in the looming negotiations, but the way Bell has played this year should have answered any questions about his health. Now it becomes about dollars and cents.