One of the biggest storylines in the NFL this year has been Le’Veon Bell’s holdout with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Bell was franchised tagged to a deal that was worth $14.5 million for one year but still hasn’t signed. He has already missed five games and won’t return for several more weeks. The Steelers have grown impatient with Bell and have made it public that they will be listening to trade offers for their three-time Pro Bowler.
If a team is interested in Bell, they would have to give up more than a few dollars. This offseason, the Los Angeles Rams paid their star running back, Todd Gurley, a four-year, $57 million contract extension with $45 million guaranteed. Bell is looking well north of those numbers, as he believes he is worth $20 million a year, with $50 million guaranteed. There are not many teams in the NFL that want or can pay that type of money, but there are six teams that can possibly make it happen.
New York Jets
As of now, the New York Jets are the only team in the NFL that has contacted the Steelers about a trade for Bell, but nothing was offered. The Jets have the money for Bell, as they can easily sign him to the franchise tag and pay him the money he wants. The Jets are a young team and don’t have any loaded contracts. The highest paid players on the Jets are backup quarterback Josh McCown and cornerback Trumaine Johnson, who both are on $10 million deals. They have many players still on rookie contracts and others on team friendly deals. Not a big issue for the Jets, but they currently have a two running back system in Bilal Powell and Isaiah Crowell and getting Bell would limit either one of both of them.
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins have been one of the surprise teams of the league, so far. The Dolphins are 3-2 and are in second place behind the New England Patriots. The roster from top to bottom doesn’t pop out, but adding a player like Bell would make the Dolphins a team to take seriously. Last year, the Dolphins traded their running back Jay Ajayi to the Philadelphia Eagles and rolled with Kenyon Drake, who seemed to be the running back of the future. This year, Drake has been a disappointment. Adding Bell will help the running game and take the load off quarterback Ryan Tannehill. The Dolphins have the space to sign Bell, but with rookie contracts set to expire soon, they would have to let go of players in the upcoming years.
Oakland Raiders
Now the Raiders know a thing or two about trading, especially when a star player is involved. Everyone knows about the questionable trade the Raiders made when they traded defensive end Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears, and got almost nothing in return. The Raiders have the cap space to sign Bell since they didn’t want to pay Mack. Head coach Jon Gruden was looking forward to working with Mack this year and didn’t have the chance, but acquiring Bell would give Gruden the chance to work with a superstar. The Raiders are mostly known for a scary defense, but the offense with Bell would be lethal with Derek Carr at quarterback and having Jordy Nelson, Amari Cooper, and Jared Cooks as other weapons. There are two issues the Raiders can experience, since Marshawn Lynch is the primary back in Oakland, and would they be willing to pay that money since they didn’t want to pay Mack. If the Raiders do make the move to get Bell, they can’t mess it up, right?
Green Bay Packers
It seems like the Packers always have their names in the trade market. The only issue is that they don’t pull the trigger. The Packers missed out on Mack, and it seems like the NFC North is going to be a dogfight between themselves, the Bears and the Vikings. The Packers don’t have the defense to compare with those two teams but imagine Aaron Rodgers working with Bell. It could be a nightmare for any defense, even if the defense is elite. The Packers have the picks to make it happen, especially since they do have two first rounders for this year’s draft, but it will be an interesting free agency in 2019 since Randall Cobb and Clay Matthews are set to hit the market. The rest of the Packers are signed for the foreseeable future and have many players still on rookie deals. The Packers would also have to clear $6 million in cap this year to make room for Bell’s franchise tag. Keep in mind, the Packers problems rely on the defensive side of the ball, so they might be more interested in a player like Earl Thomas from the Seattle Seahawks instead of a player like Bell.
Philadelphia Eagles
Yes, the defending Super Bowl champions can have a shot at Bell. The already high-powered Eagles are having inconsistency at running back with Jay Ajayi and Darren Sproles injured. Quarterback Carson Wentz is still a threat to the league, even recovering from a torn ACL. Getting Bell would easily take the load off Wentz to make plays. The Eagles also have a past of trading for running backs mid-season as they traded for Ajayi from the Dolphins last year and only gave up a fourth-round pick. Now, Bell isn’t worth a fourth-round pick, but I’m sure Eagles general manager Howie Roseman can pull something from his sleeve again. It would be tough to get Bell as they aren’t working with much salary cap this year, and then signing a long-term deal with Bell would get the Eagles way over the salary cap.
Indianapolis Colts
It would be interesting to see if the Indianapolis Colts can pull off a trade for a superstar like Bell. The Colts are a team that will fight for a .500 record or a chance to be a top ten pick in the draft. The Colts will have a tough time giving away picks. There isn’t much talent as well to be traded as offensively as it seems to be just Andrew Luck, TY Hilton, and Quenton Nelson. Defensively, there’s really nothing to point out. The Colts have the money to pay Bell as they have $51 million available in salary cap this year, and then $124 million next year, and it’s supposed to keep increasing. The Colts seem like a longshot to land Bell, but with a team that needs a playmaker, and the fact that we saw Mack go to the Bears for something cheap, maybe the Colts can pull something off.
