Former Pittsburgh
Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell plans
to sign a four-year, $52.5 million contract with the New York Jets,
a league source told Several Media Outlet
The deal includes $35 million guaranteed, with a maximum
value of close to $61 million, including incentives, a source said.
Bell, who has been training in South Florida, confirmed he
would be joining the Jets in an Instagram post late Tuesday night, shortly
after he released an album:
Bell, who shocked the NFL by sitting out the entire 2018
season on the franchise tag after failing to agree on a new contract last
summer, officially became a free agent when Steelers general manager Kevin
Colbert opted not to place a franchise or transition tag on him for the 2019
season.
After gaining nearly 2,000 total yards during the 2017
season, Bell opted to eschew the $14.5 million franchise tag in 2018 --
forgoing about $855,000 per game -- so he could preserve his long-term
viability for a big contract in free agency this offseason.
Several other teams were said to be interested in Bell,
including the San Francisco
49ers, who made a strong offer and were engaged in a wild tug-of-war
with the Jets over the past few hours, sources told Several Media Outlets
But the Jets emerged as the front-runner late Tuesday. Not
wanting to bid against themselves, they held firm on their offer, a source told
Several Media Outlets
Bell, a two-time All-Pro, had used social media to engage with
potential suitors, using emails to make indirect contact with the Indianapolis
Colts and Baltimore
Ravens, among others. The Ravens never made him an offer, a source
told Schefter.
Bell's average salary per year with the Jets, $13.25
million, would rank him second among running backs in the NFL, behind Todd Gurley's
$14.37 million average.
The Jets expect Bell to instantly upgrade an offense that
finished 29th in total yards and 26th in rushing yards. They also believe he
will be the ideal backfield mate for quarterback Sam Darnold because
of his dual-threat ability.
In finishing 4-12 last season, which resulted in Coach Todd
Bowles' ouster, the Jets produced only two 100-yard rushing days, both by Isaiah
Crowell. Crowell set the franchise single-game record with 219 yards
in an October home game against the Denver Broncos but
disappeared for the remainder of the season.
Crowell is likely to be released before Friday, when $2
million of his $4 million base salary becomes guaranteed. The backfield will
consist of Bell, Elijah
McGuire and Trenton
Cannon.
The Jets haven't had a 1,000-yard rusher since Chris Ivory in
2015. They haven't had a runner with Bell's skill set since Curtis Martin, a
big free-agent signing from 1998 to 2005. Bell has said that Martin, a Pro
Football Hall of Famer, was his idol as a kid.
This has been a busy free-agency period for the Jets, who
have reached agreements with four players on offense: Bell; wide
receivers Jamison
Crowder and Josh Bellamy; and guard Kelechi
Osemele (via trade). On defense, they finalized a deal with Pro
Bowl linebacker C.J. Mosley.
Bell's average of 128.9 total yards per game from 2013 to
2017 is the highest for an NFL back over the first five seasons of a career
since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970. During that span, he rushed for 5,336 yards
and 35 touchdowns and caught 312 passes for 2,660 yards and another seven
scores.
Rocky franchise-tag negotiations over the past two years
created distance between Bell and the Steelers. He missed training camp in 2017
when both sides couldn't agree on a contract, and he eventually played on a
$12.12 million franchise tag -- rushing for 1,291 yards and nine touchdowns,
while catching 85 passes for 655 yards and two more TDs.
After the 2017 season, Bell showed his conviction by turning
down a five-year, $70 million offer because of what he called a low true
guarantee of $17 million, and he was able to miss games because he was unsigned
and thus not bound to the team.
The Steelers, who found success in the backfield last season
with Pro Bowl selection James Conner and
backup Jaylen Samuels,
will receive a 2020 compensatory pick for losing Bell that could be worth as
high as a third-round selection.
By sitting out the 2018 season, Bell, a three-time Pro Bowl
selection, correctly bet the Steelers wouldn't place a third consecutive
franchise tag on him.
Players were surprised when Bell didn't show for Week 1, and
his own offensive line ripped him for the absence. Guard Ramon Foster and
center Maurkice
Pouncey both labeled the move selfish. One veteran player told
ESPN anonymously: "He f---ed us." After tensions cooled, many players
said they would welcome Bell back.
At one point last season, Bell, who turned 27 in February,
planned to play for the Steelers. He told ESPN on Oct. 1, "I'll be fully
committed and give you everything I have" upon returning, to "go out
there and win a Super Bowl with the Steelers."
But the Steelers explored dealing Bell before the Oct. 30
trade deadline, which might have affected his plans. No trade was possible
without Bell's signature.
Throughout this offseason, the Steelers seemed focused more
on value than a hope Bell would play in Pittsburgh again. When asked in November
what would happen if Bell never returns to the Steelers, coach Mike Tomlin said
simply, "So be it."
The Jets host the Steelers next season, as well as former
Pittsburgh star wideout Antonio Brown and
the Oakland
Raiders.
No comments:
Post a Comment