Darren Woodson joins SC6 to express his disappointment in Le'Veon Bell after finding out he skipped a portion of Saturday's walkthrough the day before the Steelers' playoff loss to the Jaguars. (1:25)

ORLANDO, Fla. -- In contract negotiations between star players and teams, anything can be used as fuel.

But when Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell was asked about whether a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report about his missing a walk-through before the playoff loss to Jacksonville would factor into next contract talks, Bell quickly made it clear: Everyone is happy with how things are going.

In Bell's case, really happy.

Bell made it sound as if a deal could be coming soon.

This feels like Antonio Brown all over again.

Le'Veon Bell goes through drills with a camera attached during Pro Bowl practice on Wednesday in Kissimmee, Florida. Doug Benc/AP

Last January, Brown was publicly branded with the bad-teammate label after broadcasting coach Mike Tomlin's private (and profane) team speech on Facebook Live. By February, Brown had a new contract.

Making a deal with Brown was always easier because his market value, as a receiver, was a bit easier to determine as elite receivers are considered more valuable. But making progress this early with Bell proves the Steelers aren't overly eager to dance with the franchise tag again -- an "episode" that Bell concedes was something he doesn't want to repeat.

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Bell has shown conviction by turning down a long-term deal last summer, skipping all of training camp and teasing retirement if asked to play on the tag again. He's got a number -- which likely considers money given to running backs and receivers -- and isn't ready to stray from it. So for him to be encouraged this early is not posturing.

The franchise-tag window opens Feb. 20. Reaching a contract before then would be a mild upset, but it's possible. Assuming the Steelers are comfortable with the structure of the deal, it's beneficial to them to avoid the franchise tag altogether and avoid a position of weakness later in the summer.

Another consideration: There's not much to negotiate because all the legwork was done last year. That helped Brown and the Steelers come to an agreement, as Brown's camp pushed for a new deal as early as 2015.

Bell is a pillar of the Steelers franchise. His yards-per-carry average dipped to 4.0 this season, but missing training camp likely was a factor, and he averaged 4.9 yards per carry from 2015 to 2016. He didn't wear down late in the season, as he averaged 4.5 yards per carry in the final six games and caught 45 passes in that span.

However the season ended, Bell is still highly valued and can be used in creative ways.