Le'Veon Bell
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New York Jets running back Le’Veon Bell reveals that his current contract was a topic of discussion during his trade talks.

It’s officially been two weeks since the NFL trade deadline passed, as numerous players have settled into their new organizations. One of these individuals doesn’t happen to be Le’Veon Bell. The New York Jets running back, who was signed this past offseason, was involved in trade talks near the deadline. However, nothing came to fruition.

Bell just inked a four-year, $52.5 million deal in March, which is a big number if you’re a running back. The value of that position has gone down in recent years, as many teams don’t want to pay their running backs serious money. This week, Bell actually revealed that the amount the Jets are paying him was a topic of discussion within the trade talks. Teams apparently would’ve wanted to restructure his deal if they acquired him.

“[The contract] was definitely a huge part,” Bell said, per Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk. “I understand how things work and everything, but the fact that I had actually sat out a whole year to kind of get to where I wanted to get to today, I definitely couldn’t like retract on it. I’m still trying to set myself up and my family up down the line so I’ll make sure that everything tries to stay intact we both would have, myself and whatever team got me, would have both become winners, not just them.”

Jets general manager Joe Douglas didn’t shop Bell around to any teams prior to the 4 p.m. ET deadline on Oct. 29. He simply listened in on offers, which is, indeed, his job.

Bell hasn’t had his greatest season up to this point. Through nine games, he’s averaged 3.1 yards-per-carry with two touchdowns on the ground. He’s additionally caught 44 balls for 276 yards and one receiving touchdown.

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Ryan Honey is a staff writer and host of the Wide Right Podcast.