NFL Insider John Clayton Asserts Jets Could Trade Le'Veon Bell Before Season Even Starts
After the New York Jets fired general manager Mike Maccagnan this week, many around the league expected a shake up. Well, the team made Adam Gase its interim GM, and it was soon after revealed that he was not pleased with the sizable contract handed to Le'Veon Bell.
Well, one NFL insider, John Clayton, thinks that Bell may end up not playing a single down as a Jet, believing that Gase may deal the star running back before the beginning of the year.
.@JohnClaytonNFL on Le'Veon Bell: "If there's a suitor, I could absolutely see the Jets trading him before the start of the season."
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) May 17, 2019
Would Gase really go as far as to deal Bell before he even takes a snap in East Rutherford? The Jets, more specifically Maccagnan, handed Bell a four-year, $52 million deal this offseason. It would be shocking to see Gase part ways with the former Steeler before even giving him a shot in the team's offense.
So should Jets fans be worried at this point?
The Jets' plan, recapped:
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) May 15, 2019
1. Let Mike Maccagnan run a free agency period in which they spent $191.2M on Le'Veon Bell, C.J. Mosley, Jamison Crowder and Henry Anderson.
2. Let Maccaggnan run a draft in which they had the 3rd pick.
3. Fire Maccaggnan three weeks after the draft.
Most likely, the Jets won't see any real action around Bell and Gase until after mandatory minicamp at the beginning of June where Bell is expected to be present. If there is a real rift between the two, it would become apparent at camp, if anywhere.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out, but already the Bell's tenure with the Jets seems to be off to a shaky start.