Former Jets All-Pro Running Back Seeking NFL Return With “One Team”

 

Le’Veon Bell, a former running back for the New York Jets, is making an NFL comeback.

Even so, it doesn’t seem like it will work with the white and green.

Through Sports Illustrated’s Noah Strackbein, Bell stated on Snapchat, “I won’t start training until like March.” And I have to be honest with myself—I have to step out there and declare that I’m going to make a move. Can I sense it? Do I injure myself? Is it possible for me to return to playing outside? And, buddy, I’m telling you all right now when I train there in March, and if I decide in April to return to the game, I promise that if I ever play in the NFL again, I will be even better than before. And I’m only going to return for that one squad. Everyone is aware of who it is. Saying “no team” is not necessary. Everyone is aware of who it is.

Bell was alluding to the Pittsburgh Steelers, with whom he began his NFL career.

Bell’s final NFL game appearance was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021. After spending a month (December to January) with the team, he participated in three games, caught a touchdown, and was soon cut.

One of the worst busts among free agents in Jets franchise history is Bell.

In 2019 the Jets went on a crazy free-agent spending binge.

Veteran linebacker C.J. Mosley was signed by general manager Mike Maccagnan to a five-year, $85 million contract. That was the biggest deal in team history at the time, but Quinnen Williams’ $96 million extension has since eclipsed it.

The Jets’ addition of Bell to the offensive line was the team’s other significant expenditure.

The transaction was for $52.5 million over four years, with incentives that may raise the total value to $61 million.

In mid-May 2019, two months after signing these players to record-breaking contracts, Maccagnan was let go. It was thought that the decision’s timing was peculiar.

In 2019, the Jets let Maccagnan control the team’s draft and spend a startling sum of money, but they fired him soon after. His successor, Joe Douglas, would eventually be hired by New York and is still the GM in 2024.

Rumors surfaced less than a month after Bell’s signing, claiming that former head coach Adam Gase had initially opposed Bell’s signing. Even before Bell on the field for the Jets, that uneasy tension existed.