Le'Veon Bell, Jimmy Garoppolo Among NFL Players to Join Jordan Brand

Pittsburgh Steelers holdout Le'Veon Bell and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo headline the newest additions to Nike's Jordan Brand for the 2018 NFL season.

On Thursday, Darren Rovell of ESPN.com reported the group also includes Chicago Bears running back Jordan Howard, Houston Texans safety Tyrann Mathieu, New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas, New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard and Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner.

Bell hasn't tipped his hand about a potential return to the Steelers. He was unable to reach an agreement on a long-term extension with the team before the July deadline for franchise-tagged players. Now he must sign the one-year tender or continue to hold out.

Meanwhile, Garoppolo is one of the NFL's marquee stories heading into the 2018 campaign.

The 26-year-old former New England Patriots quarterback went from backing up Tom Brady to Niners starter following his October trade from the Pats. He proceeded to lead San Francisco, which started the year 1-10, to five straight wins to close out the season after taking over the starting job.

Garoppolo, an Illinois native, told Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com last month that joining the Jordan Brand was a dream come true after watching Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan as a kid.

"I was pretty young, but even when they were winning those championships, I can remember staying up with my three brothers, mom and dad—we'd all be in the living room watching it," he said. "It was so exciting. Ever since I was a little kid, he's been my favorite athlete, so it's pretty cool to be part of his brand now."

Garoppolo and most of Jordan's new endorsers kick off the regular season Sunday.

When Bell will get to put his new kicks on display in game action is anybody's guess, though.