The perceived final two teams in the Le’Veon Bell sweepstakes this past offseason are going in opposite directions.
Bell’s new team, the New York Jets, are 1-4 on the season entering Week 7 and probably can’t even be viewed as long shots for the playoffs. Conversely, the San Francisco 49ers, who Bell claims offered him a three-year, $40 million deal over the winter, are one of two remaining undefeated teams and arguably are the current favorites to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LIV.
It’s tough to knock Bell for going with the highest bidder, but the three-time Pro Bowl selection likely would have flourished in the Bay Area. Kyle Shanahan is one of the league’s sharpest offensive minds, and San Francisco has successfully leaned on its stable of running backs through six weeks.
Still, Bell is paying no mind to “what ifs.”
“No regrets,” Bell told The Athletic’s Gary Myers. “You can’t predict Sam (Darnold) getting sick or guys getting hurt. We have a lot of injuries. It’s been a rough start. In football, there’s four quarters in a game. The beautiful thing about the NFL season is it’s like four quarters. We just finished the first quarter. It’s not about how you start a season, it’s how you finish it. I’m excited we got our quarterback back, guys are starting to click, the offensive line is starting to click better. Guys understand the offense a little better.”
Sure, there’s hope for the future in New York with Bell and Darnold leading the charge. But it’s looking even brighter for the 49ers, who also boast a very stout defense in addition to having Jimmy Garoppolo under center.
Bell set himself up quite nicely with the Jets from a financial standpoint, but it’s not looking like New York will be a legitimate Super Bowl contender any time soon.
