The Le’Veon Bell saga continues.
The running back has yet to report to the Steelers this season, and will not be on the field Monday for Pittsburgh’s Week 3 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Bell did not participate in team activities this summer after he and the Steelers reportedly couldn’t agree on a new contract. With each game the 26-year-old doesn’t play, Bell is forfeiting $855,000. And after reports surfaced Sunday that the Steelers would listen to trade offers for the running back, it appears an AFC team has expressed interest in adding him to their roster.
According to the New York Daily News’ Manish Mehta, the New York Jets reached out to Pittsburgh expressing their interest in Bell.
“The Jets have not made a concrete offer for Bell yet, but they believe that the Steelers are serious about moving the dynamic offensive weapon,” Mehta writes, citing sources.
After blowing out the Detroit Lions 48-17 in Week 1, the Jets have struggled, dropping their last two games to fall to 1-2 on the season. Bell certainly would add a boost to the Jets’ offense, considering he has 5,336 rushing yards, 655 receiving yards and 42 total touchdowns in his career.
And if New York plans to rebuild, Bell would be the player it would want to build around and would provide a solid weapon for quarterback Sam Darnold.
If Bell were to be traded to New York, he would be under its control for the remainder of this season before either singing long-term with the team or testing the free-agent market.
