Le’Veon Bell on the Trade Block

Scott Long

10/13/20

When Le’Veon Bell left the Pittsburgh Steelers for the New York Jets via free agency, the expectation was that the star running back would be the focal point of the Jets offense. However, shortly after signing with the Jets, it was revealed that head coach, Adam Gase, was not a huge fan of the decision to sign Bell, starting the relationship off with a rocky start.

Bell’s first two years with the Jets have not lived up to the expectations that came along with the 4-year $52 million contract he was signed for. In Pittsburgh Bell was a three-time Pro Bowler, and two-time First Team All Pro selection, causing expectations to be sky high with his new team, especially after he chose not to sign the Franchise tag that the Steelers placed on him. But, this is not all Bell’s fault as he has been plagued by injuries this season, and he is playing behind a young and inexperienced offensive line that doesn’t match up with his patient running style. Couple that with a coach in Gase who already didn’t like signing Bell, and you have an offensive scheme where the highest paid player isn’t getting the ball as much as he’d like to.

As a result of this shaky start with the Jets, Bell has liked tweets related to the team trading him, and the Jets have made it known he is available in trade talks. However, with Bell having such a large salary, the Jets desiring a hefty return, and Gase’s future being murky, it’s unclear how easily a Bell trade can be made.

Of the teams linked to Bell’s services the Chicago Bears appear to be the team best positioned to make a trade happen. Chicago has surprised many, jumping out to a 4-1 start this season, but has already lost change of pace running back, Tarik Cohen for the season after he suffered a torn ACL week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons. After the injury to Cohen, second year back was tasked with assuming nearly all the running back snaps, with only one other running back, Ryan Nall, on the roster. Due to Nall’s lack of experience, Montgomery has taken most of the snaps, and he’s had mixed results, with 247 yards rushing and 1 rushing touchdown through five games. A trade for Bell would give Montgomery some competition for snaps at the very least, and if he were to step up, Bell’s elite pass catching ability would allow him to also take a decent number of snaps from the slot as a wide receiver. Other team’s such as the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, and Baltimore Ravens, among others have also been suggested, but none of these fits seem as likely.

Ultimately, in all likelihood, with the trade deadline coming up on November 3, it appears unlikely that a deal will get done before then due to the aforementioned issues. Whether or not Bell gets traded remains to be seen, but even if it doesn’t, both Bell and Gase’s status with the team after this season remains murky.