New York Jets Release Running Back Le'Veon Bell
Sports Illustrated's host Kaitlin O'Toole is joined by Kristian Dyer from Jets Country for insight on New York's decision to release running back Le'Veon Bell.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00The short-lived Le'Veon Bell era in New York has come to an end.
00:05The team announced late Monday that they would be parting ways with the running back.
00:10Joining me now for more is Christian Dyer from Jets Country.
00:13Christian, Le'Veon Bell's short but tumultuous time in New York is over.
00:18What ultimately led New York to this decision in letting him go?
00:22Yeah, Caitlin, I think this was a marriage that was somewhat of a disaster from the beginning.
00:28Remember that Le'Veon Bell was actually signed by former Jets general manager Mike McAdmin,
00:33who was let go last summer after the NFL draft by the Jets.
00:37And Joe Douglas is now in town here in charge of the Jets.
00:41So this was a head coach that really hasn't historically, in Adam Gase, utilized a big
00:47name running back.
00:49Le'Veon Bell is certainly a big personality.
00:51And in the past, Adam Gase, at his previous stop where he was a head coach of the Miami
00:56Dolphins for three years, never really gravitated towards those big name superstar type of players.
01:02And this ends up being a situation not unlike what we've seen the Jets do in the past with
01:08the trade of Jamal Adams in July.
01:11Le'Veon Bell, with his oversized personality and lack of production here, just really wasn't
01:16a good fit.
01:17Keep in mind, two games this year, hamstring injury that kept him out for three, just 113
01:24yards from scrimmage.
01:25All that for a player who last year signed a four-year, $52.5 million contract.
01:31That's not a good return on investment for the Jets.
01:34Not at all.
01:35I want to go back to something you said about Jamal Adams, because Bell actually criticized
01:39the way Adams used Twitter to kind of get his way out of New York.
01:42But after Sunday's game, Bell kind of did the same thing, trying to use Twitter as an
01:47exit strategy from the Jets.
01:49Well, certainly.
01:50And it seems like if you want to get off the Jets, what you end up doing, you go to Twitter
01:56about it, because within 24 hours, something's going to happen and you're going to be out
02:00of town.
02:01Le'Veon Bell, after a game on Sunday, his first game back from a hamstring injury, 13
02:07carries for 60 yards, not bad production, just one reception for seven yards, so 14
02:13total touches for a player who's a two-time All-Pro, three-time Pro Bowl selection and
02:18one of two real playmakers on the Jets' offense.
02:20And Bell, I think somewhat disgruntled, went on social media after the game, didn't post
02:26anything himself, but he ended up going on there and liking a bunch of comments from
02:30Jets fans about how he's not being utilized properly, about him possibly being trade bait
02:36and how he deserves better, the very same actions that he criticized Jamal Adams for
02:40doing to force his way out of town.
02:43Well, Le'Veon Bell used it to force his way out of town.
02:46All right.
02:47Well, what does this mean from a fantasy football perspective?
02:50Frank Gore is expected to take over duties in the Jets' backfield.
02:54We'll continue to monitor Bell's free agency situation.
02:57Christian, thank you so much for joining me, appreciate your insight.