Source: Bell plans to join Jets for 4 years, $52.5M
Adam Schefter reports that Le’Veon Bell plans to sign with the Jets after holding out last season. (1:56)
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 ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The deal includes $35 million guaranteed, with a maximum value close to $61 million, a source said.
Bell, who has been training in South Florida, confirmed he would be joining the Jets in a tweet late Tuesday night:
I’m back in the green baby, let’s get it
Sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that the San Francisco 49ers had made a strong offer for Bell, but the Jets came over the top late to finalize the deal. Sources said Bell’s affinity to the Jets and running back Curtis Martin as a youth helped.
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.
The two-time All-Pro running back, after gaining nearly 2,000 total yards during the 2017 season, 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.
Sure, the 27-year-old veteran running back brings some baggage to New York, but he’s also a gamble worth taking for a team desperately seeking wins.
Anthony Barr has decided to remain with the Vikings rather than sign with the Jets, a source confirmed to ESPN.
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 while catching 312 passes for 2,660 yards and another 7 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 9 touchdowns while catching 85 passes for 655 yards and 2 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 the All-Pro tailback didn’t show for Week 1, with his own offensive line ripping 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’d welcome Bell back.
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At one point last season, Bell, who turned 27 in February, planned to play for the Steelers. He told ESPN on Oct. 1 that “I’ll be fully committed and give you everything I have” upon return, 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 more than a hope Bell would play in Pittsburgh again. When asked in November what happens 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 Antonio Brown and the Raiders.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler contributed to this report.