The New York Jets signed Le’Veon Bell to a massive contract this past offseason, but they may be looking to part ways with the star running back just one season into the deal.
The Jets are going to be “amenable” to trading Bell after the season concludes, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports. They already shopped the three-time Pro Bowler ahead of the trade deadline, and it seems like Bell and Jets head coach Adam Gase are far from a perfect fit.
Bell is in the first season of a four-year, $52.5 million deal he signed with the Jets that includes $27 million guaranteed. He carries salary cap hits of $15.5 million, $13.5 million and $15 million over the next three seasons. The team will almost certainly have to eat some money if they want to move him, but Gase may push for it to happen.
Bell is averaging just 82.7 yards per game and 3.2 yards per carry. He was a threat in both the run and pass games with the Pittsburgh Steelers who was constantly a nightmare for defenses, but he has not looked like that player this year. A lot of that has to do with the way Gase is using him, though Gase indicated on Monday that it is Bell who has needed to alter his style of play.
“Especially in the last four or five games, he’s really done a good job of trying to make sure that we’re staying ahead of the sticks,” Gase said. “For the most part, I feel like he has adjusted his running style to really benefit us to really keep us ahead of the sticks.”
A report from before the season claimed Gase was totally against shelling out big money to sign Bell, and the Jets have already committed to the coach for 2020. Gase tried to refute the notion that he never wanted Bell on the team, but he wasn’t exactly convincing. If Bell does end up being moved, it will be safe to assume Gase had a lot to do with it.
