The New York Jets have faltered out of the gates despite adding running back Le’Veon Bell in the offseason along with other valuable pieces such as Jamison Crowder. While these additions were supposed to turn the Jets into a competitive team in the AFC, this hasn’t been the case.
New York has dropped six of their first seven games this season and rumors around some key names were floating around at the trade deadline. In fact, one of those players mentioned was actually Le’Veon Bell who insists he wants to remain a Jet despite their slow start.
Bell said on Uninterrupted’s podcast that the trade speculation was true and a number of teams were interested in orchestrating a deal for the talented halfback. Bell went on to mention specific names, stating that the Texans, Chiefs, Packers and, yes, the Steelers were teams trying to pull off a deadline-day trade.
In the podcast, Bell says he got this information straight from his agent Adisa Bakari who asked the Jets whether there was any credibility to the trade rumors. While the Jets didn’t seem to entertain any of these offers, it is certainly interesting that trade speculation has already surfaced less than half a season into his career as a Jet.
Perhaps even more interesting were the teams who were apparently trying to trade for Bell. Sure the Texans and Chiefs could use some backfield help but both have solid 1-2 punches that can get the job done. LeSean McCoy and Damien Williams form a nice duo for KC while Duke Johnson and the resurgent Carlos Hyde have been extremely solid for Houston this season.
The Packers make even less sense, with a hot 7-1 start to the season under their belt and RB Aaron Jones enjoying a breakout campaign. That brings us to the Steelers who are in desperate need for backfield help after James Conner and Benny Snell both got injured in their Week 8 victory over Miami.
Bell played in Pittsburgh for half a decade and was generally regarded as the best running back in the game during his time there. Obviously, that relationship soured after Bell held out last season when the Steelers tried to place another franchise tag on him. Bell would leave in free agency and get his long-term contract with the Jets.
It doesn’t make much sense for Bell to head back to the Steelers now, especially with a rebuild looming in Pittsburgh and Bell’s prime likely winding down within the next few seasons. Bell seems happy in New York anyways, and he recently took to social media to let fans know he isn’t looking to leave anytime soon.
