The moment Le'Veon Bell was released by the New York Jets, the New England Patriots were mentioned as a possible landing spot.
After all, Bill Belichick has a long history of bringing in past-their-prime veterans and attempting to wring one last gasp of productivity out of them, including with Corey Dillon, Randy Moss, Junior Seau, Chad Ochocino (not successful), and his current quarterback, Cam Newton.
Le'Veon Bell averaged just 3.3 yards per carry in 17 games with the Jets, though it's hard to evaluate what he still has left in the tank considering the abysmal talent and coaching around him in New York. However, he did consistently look a step slower with Gang Green than he did prior to sitting out the the 2018 season over a contract holdout.
Plus, an injured hamstring has limited him to just 74 yards on the 2020 season.
On Thursday, when asked about his interest in the free agent running back, Belichick offered a typically cryptic answer.
“I wouldn't really be able to talk about anybody who's not a member of our team now. … Whatever I've said about Bell on the record before, I stand by that.”
Belichick has made multiple comments about Bell in the past, with the most recent coming in Sept. 2019, ahead of the Week 3 matchup between the Patriots and Jets.
“Bell’s clearly one of the top backs in the league. Outstanding with the ball in his hands, great receiver, just a really hard matchup player and does an excellent job of breaking tackles…He’s a hard guy to get on the ground, whether he spins, jumps over guys, makes them miss in the open field, puts his shoulder down and runs through them.”
In fact, Belichick's compliments for Bell go back to the halfback's Pro Bowl days with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“He’s a great player,” Belichick told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 2017. “He’s almost impossible to stop. He does everything well. He runs well, great power, quickness, vision, excellent receiver, hard to tackle. The guy is a great player.”
And in 2016, he praised Bell to NBC Sports' Tom Curran:
“Oh my God. He’s a tremendous player, great hands, catches the ball, very quick, makes people miss, strong, breaks tackles, excellent balance, tough, doesn’t run out of bounds, fights for extra yardage, a great player. … Bell’s as good as anybody we’ll play.”
Of course, a lot has changed since Belichick last publicly lauded Bell's abilities.
The Jets still owe Bell about $6 million of his prorated salary for the rest of this season, but any team that signs the veteran tailback can do so at the league minimum.
Belichick signed Newton to an incentive-laden one-year deal that includes just $1.05 in base salary. Before testing positive for COVID-19, he looked rejuvenated in New England.
New England doesn't exactly need help in the running game. Through four games, the Patriots (2-2) rank second in the NFL in rushing yards per game (179.8), using a committee approach featuring Sony Michel, Rex Burkhead, Damien Harris, and Newton.
The Jets were unable to find a trade partner for Le'Veon Bell, but there does seem to be a market for him. The Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins have been speculated as potential landing spots, while oddsmakers currently have the Chicago Bears (+400) as the most likely landing spot for Bell. The Patriots are listed as +1200, per BetMGM.
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