Former Jets running back Le’Veon Bell has narrowed his wish list down to three teams.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Bell plans to sign with either the Dolphins, Bills or Chiefs. Bell is expected to make a decision as early as Thursday barring a last-minute change of heart.
If Bell does sign with any of those three teams, the Jets will see him again soon. The Jets play the Dolphins in Week 6 and in Week 12. New York plays Buffalo in Week 7 and Kansas City in Week 8. However, Bell would be ineligible to play this weekend due to the league’s COVID-19 protocols, so he wouldn’t suit up against New York this Sunday if he were to sign with Miami.
The Jets released Bell on Tuesday after he played in 17 total games and earned $28 million. In 2019, Bell signed a four-year, $52.5 million deal with the Jets under former general manager Mike Maccagnan.
It was almost immediately reported that Adam Gase wasn’t a fan of signing Bell to that deal, and the two appeared to clash over the next season-plus as Bell was minimally and improperly used. Bell and Gase tried to portray a professional relationship, but Bell did some things on social media that bothered Gase.
During training camp, Bell lashed out on Twitter when Gase didn’t let him practice one day because of his hamstring. Bell said there was nothing wrong with his hamstring. This past week, Bell liked tweets about not being a big enough factor in the passing game and about getting traded.
Ultimately, that was the nail in the coffin for Bell’s tenure as a Jet.