Following the Jets’ 13-6 season-finale victory over the Bills, Adam Gase and Le’Veon Bell had a private conversation before the media was allowed in according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
Bell barely touched the ball in the second half of Sunday’s win over Buffalo. He finished with 41 rushing yards on 16 attempts. In addition, Bell caught five passes for 36 yards to bring an end to a disappointing season.
“It’s been a different season,” Bell said. “I didn’t break a thousand yards. It’s disappointing. Obviously, you know, that’s like a marker every running back sets to get a thousand yards, but it didn’t happen this year. I just got to work harder and get better for next year.”
Bell finished the season with 789 rushing yards and three touchdowns in 15 games. He ran for over 1,000-yards three times during his five-year career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. His best game came against a former foe in the Baltimore Ravens, in which he ran for 87 yards.
Gase’s usage of Bell drew criticism throughout the season. Reports circulated following the firing of Mike Maccagnan that Gase did not want Bell at the price the team signed him for. A shotgun marriage from the start, it’s evident that the role in the Jets offense wasn’t what Bell expected.
In the previous two games due to injuries, Bell received the lion share of carries out of the Jets backfield. On Sunday, he seemed like an after-thought, especially in the red zone.
“We were just trying to play all the guys,” said Gase, explaining why Bell wasn’t a factor in the second half. “We were just trying to play everybody. I wouldn’t look into that too much. I mean, he had 26 touches or something like that.”
Bell had a total of 21 touches, a rather low number considering the lofty expectations out of the All-Pro back. Regardless, Bell has been a team-player through and through, conducting himself in the most professional manner possible.
“It don’t matter,” Bell said. “We won the game. That’s all that matters.”
The Jets and Bell will have to come to a resolution this offseason. Whether they decide to move his contract or keep him in 2020 and beyond remains to be seen.