Joe Douglas declared in Indianapolis that his New York Jets haven’t spoken to teams about a deal for the All-Pro running back.
According to New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas, the team has not engaged in trade talks involving running back Le’Veon Bell.
Douglas made the announcement during his statements at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
“There hasn’t been talk about him going anywhere. We’re excited about Le’Veon,” Douglas said, per Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. “We’re excited to have him here.”
Bell signed a four-year, $52.5 million deal last offseason. It was one of the more notable deals of the signing period, but, done in by a constantly changing offensive line and general inconsistency, Bell failed to reach the heights he routinely hit as a Pittsburgh Steeler.
Bell would fail to reach 100 yards in each of his 15 games in 2019. His yardage total of 789 yards was the lowest output of his career, save for an injury-shortened campaign in 2015. Bell did manage to rank in the top ten in receiving among rushers with 461 yards (9th) on 66 receptions (7th). This came one year after Bell skipped the entire 2018 season due to a contract dispute with Steelers management.
The running back’s name did come up in trade talks during the season, but Bell often reiterated his content with his New York situation. In December, he told Rich Cimini of ESPN that “I wouldn’t have signed here for four years if I didn’t want to be here four years”.
“When I did sign here, I didn’t expect us to go 16-0, you know what I’m saying?” Bell said. “I knew it would be a process. I understand everything. We got a young quarterback, a whole group of guys coming in, new offensive coordinators, head coaches.”
“I understand what goes on. It’s not like basketball. You can’t take one or two guys and change a team.”
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags.
