The New York Jets signed Le’Veon Bell in 2019 hoping he could provide a spark and help carry the team into the playoffs. After one disappointing season, it looks like the Jets are already prepared to move on from their star running back.
Will the New York Jets trade Le’Veon Bell?
The Jets will head into training camp with high expectations. Sam Darnold will be entering his third NFL season and his second year under head coach Adam Gase. If things get off to a rocky start, though, it sounds like changes would come quickly.
According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, the Jets will likely shop Le’Veon Bell before the trade deadline if they fall out of contention. Just over a year after signing him to a four-year, $52 million contract, the Jets seem ready to cut bait.
New York shopped the former All-Pro running back during the 2019 season, but couldn’t find the draft-pick compensation it wanted. Instead, the Jets watched Bell lose his explosiveness as the season went on and his relationship with Gase deteriorated.
After taking off the 2018 season in a contract dispute, Bell averaged only 3.2 yards per carry this past season with the Jets. It marked a drastic step back for a player who averaged 4.3 yards per carry and averaged 86 rushing yards per game in five seasons with the Steelers.
If the Jets struggle and Bell fails to impress, there likely won’t be much interest in him across the league. At that point, New York will have to wait until the offseason before cutting him to create $9 million in cap space.