Bell agrees to deal after sitting out ’18
Le’Veon Bell, the superstar running back who sat out last season in a salary dispute with the Pittsburgh Steelers, has agreed to a free-agent deal with the New York Jets.
Bell, 27, is considered one of the most versatile offensive players in the NFL. After ESPN broke the news early Wednesday that he had come to terms with the Jets, Bell confirmed it on Twitter and Instagram.
ESPN reported that the deal is for four years and $52.5 million, with $35 million guaranteed.
Bell’s anticipated average salary of $13.25 million would make him the league’s second-highest-paid running back, behind Todd Gurley of the Los Angeles Rams. But that could be a bargain with Bell. Other than the question marks created by a year away from the game, he represents a dramatic upgrade for the Jets, a team that ranked 26th in the NFL in rushing last year.
Selected by Pittsburgh with the 48th pick of the 2013 draft, Bell had a solid rookie campaign before exploding in 2014 with 2,215 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns. While his time on the field has been limited somewhat by drug and substance abuse suspensions — along with his full-season holdout — he has 7,996 yards from scrimmage in 62 career games.
With the Jets he will be the centerpiece of an offense designed by the team’s new coach, Adam Gase, the mastermind of a Denver Broncos offense that averaged 37.9 points a game with Peyton Manning in 2013. (Under Gase, the Miami Dolphins finished in the bottom half of the league in scoring the past three seasons.)
Bell will serve as the Jets’ top running back, but he also will be one of their most talented receivers. That will help take some of the burden off quarterback Sam Darnold, who is still developing after being selected with the No. 3 overall pick last year. In Darnold’s uneven rookie season, the Jets had a running back surpass 100 rushing yards in a game only two times.