Le’Veon Bell apparently has come around on the New York Jets.
Either that, or he had no other choice.
The ex-Pittsburgh Steelers running back agreed to a four-year, 52.5 million contract with the New York Jets late Tuesday night, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. Bell’s deal carries a max value of $61 million and includes $35 million guaranteed.
And those numbers are important, as it wasn’t so long ago that Bell scoffed at the notion of being paid $60 million to join the Jets.
Check out this tweet from Feb. 2018:
The Jets will sign Le'Veon Bell to a reported 4-year, $52.5M deal. 🤔 pic.twitter.com/OVlFFBANLV
— theScore (@theScore) March 13, 2019
Yeah, that didn’t age well.
It’s fair to wonder whether Bell cost himself significant money by sitting out last season and refusing to accept the Steelers’ franchise tag. Bell’s reported deal breaks down to $13.125 million average per year (APY), well below the $14.5 million he would’ve made if he played under the tag. Bell’s dreams of being the NFL’s highest-paid running back also didn’t come to fruition, as Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley ($14.375 million APY) still holds that honor.
But hey, Bell did get to spend a ton of time at Miami strip clubs, so at least there’s that.
