Le’Veon Bell, like most expected, ultimately agreed to join his highest bidder, but the star running back reportedly did a fair share of due diligence before starting the next chapter of his NFL career.
The New York Jets won the Bell sweepstakes, as the two sides allegedly agreed to a four-year contract worth $52 million that could reach $61 million through incentives. But prior to agreeing to take his talents to the Big Apple, Bell contacted two other AFC teams, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The Ravens addressed their need at running back not long after Bell landed with the Jets, as Baltimore on Wednesday reportedly agreed to a three-year deal with Mark Ingram. As for the Oakland Raiders, one has to imagine they weren’t in the business of issuing another lucrative free-agent contract in wake of Trent Brown’s reported record-breaking deal, as well as Antonio Brown’s reworked contract.
All told, Bell’s market might not have been as robust as most originally expected it to be.
