The New York Jets explored trades for running back Le'Veon Bell at this past season's trade deadline, but were not able to find any deals. Will they revisit trade talks this offseason?
Rich Cimini of ESPN.com notes that while the Jets may want to move Bell, they have come to the realization that the chances of successfully doing so are very slim because of Bell's contract, which runs through 2022 at an average annual salary of $13.125 million.
Cimini says that New York would have to pay a chunk of Bell's 2020 salary (which comes out to $13.5 million in total guarantees) just to create a market for the halfback, which is obviously easier said than done.
And even if the Jets did manage to generate some interest in Bell at that point, the return would be minimal, with Cimini estimating that Gang Green may not do any better than a Day 3 draft pick.
Based on that, New York may as well try and make it worth with Bell next season.
The Jets signed the three-time Pro Bowler to a four-year, $52.5 million contract last March, but it seemed pretty clear right from the get-go that head coach Adam Gase didn't want much to do with Bell.
In fact, there was even chatter before the 2019 campaign even started that New York could attempt to trade Bell, but nothing concrete came from it.
Bell proceeded to rush for just 789 yards and three touchdowns while averaging a meager 3.2 yards per carry this past year.
It's hard to tell if Bell's lack of production was the result of a decline or if it was the Jets simply not utilizing him correctly. Of course, it could also be a combination of the two factors.
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