Le’Veon Bell wants to get paid a ton on his new contract.
The former Pittsburgh Steelers running back didn’t play a single snap last year in order to save his body for a new long-term deal.
We now have a number on what he’s looking for. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler Monday, Bell is looking for about $16 million a year, and he’s going to want a lot of guarantees.
Sources in the running back market anticipate Le’Veon Bell wants $15-16 million per year on a new deal to be hashed out this week. The key, though, will be guarantees. That’s what held up the Steelers deal over the summer, according to Bell.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 11, 2019
Bell is going to get straight-up paid on his new deal, and there’s no question about that at all. When he actually decides he wants to play, he’s arguably the most dynamic athlete in the league. (RELATED: Pittsburgh Steelers Don’t Transition Tag Le’Veon Bell, He Can Now Sign Wherever He Wants)
He can catch the ball, he can run the ball, and he’s insanely elusive in the open field. He’s got everything you want in an elite running back.
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The only question now is where he’s going to end up. My money is on the Jets. The Jets have tons of cap space, they need help for Sam Darnold and Bell seems like he’d flourish in a major media market. It almost makes too much sense.
It’ll be nice to see Bell back on the field. It’s not great for the NFL when one of the best players in the league just takes a year off and doesn’t play a snap. That’s not a great look at all.
Luckily, that time period is about to be over.