Adam Gase appeared unwilling to talk about or take any responsibility for the Jets’ ugly break up with Le’Veon Bell.
New cut Bell on Tuesday night. When asked repeatedly Wednesday afternoon if he thought he misused the running back, Gase refused to answer.
“It’s irrelevant at this point,’ Gase said, via SNY. “For whatever reason, it didn’t work out. Our team is moving forward to Miami, that’s the No. 1 thing for us right now.”
The Jets released Bell on Tuesday night after 17 middling performances and just 19 months after signing him to a four-year, $52.5 million contract. It came in the wake of a 14-touch performance that left Bell so miffed by his usage that he liked several tweets insinuating the Jets should trade him. While the Jets tried to send Bell elsewhere throughout this season, they couldn’t find a trade partner who would take on the 28-year-old’s contract that still had a lot of guaranteed money left to pay.
“It was a tough decision to make but we felt like it was best for where we are at right now,” Gase added, per team reporter Olivia Landis.
Bell joined the Jets in the hopes of bolstering their offense after a self-imposed season-long hiatus in 2018. Instead, Bell saw his touches, yards and touchdowns all drop to career lows as the Jets offense fell among the worst in the NFL in 2019. That trend continued in 2020 despite claims by both Bell and Gase that he’d be used better and that the offense would progress with another year together. The Jets still have one of the worst offenses in the league and Bell averaged fewer touches and yards than he did a season before.
Considering how poorly the Jets played with Bell, it’s likely they won’t look any different without him. What’s left, though, is a team that still has no offensive identity that lacks any semblance of a weapon. Sam Darnold lost his safety net running back and will now lean on Jamison Crowder more in the slot as well as veteran Frank Gore in the backfield. Rookie running back La’Mical Perine should see an uptick in touches, too.
Gase offered one final comment on his former running back when asked if Bell was still a productive player. It was classic Gase.
“I’m sure he’ll get an opportunity somewhere else,” he said, dimly. “We’ll see what happens.”
Bell’s future is limitless with the teams he could join. The Jets’ is anything but.