The Pittsburgh Steelers are open to trading Le’Veon Bell now that the star running back has shown he is committed to holding out as long as possible, and the New York Jets are among the teams that are reportedly interested in acquiring him.
Sources told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News that the Jets have reached out to the Steelers about a possible trade involving Bell. While they did not make a formal offer, the Jets reportedly feel that the Steelers are serious about their willingness to move Bell.
It’s unclear what price tag Pittsburgh is planning to attach to Bell, but the Jets do not have a second-round pick in 2019. A first-round pick seems steep for a player who will cost around $10 million for the remainder of the season and will still need to be signed long-term, but New York also has an additional third-round pick.
Bell can’t technically sign a long-term extension with any team, so he would need to sign his franchise tender and agree to a handshake deal. It seems unlikely that any team would give up a draft pick to trade for him if there is a risk of him being a rental, unless that team is looking to make a deep run in 2019. The Jets are unlikely to be one of those teams.
Judging by some of his social media activity from over the weekend, Bell probably wants the Steelers to trade him. Whether or not he has specific teams he would prefer to play for remains to be seen.
