Le'Veon Bell Trade Rumors: Jets 'Have Never Slammed the Door' on Dealing RB

Le'Veon Bell's career with the New York Jets could end up being a one-year layover.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport relayed Monday night that the Jets "have never slammed the door on potentially moving" the 27-year-old running back:

Rapoport noted that it seems as if the Jets would "have to eat some of the money" remaining on the four-year, $52 million contract Bell signed with New York in free agency last March.

ESPN's Rich Cimini provided additional context into the Jets' feeling toward Bell earlier Monday:

"They won't cut Bell; the cap hit is prohibitive. The better question is, will they trade him? The organization has come to the realization that, because of his massive salary, the chances of a trade are remote. To create a market, they'd have to be willing to pay a chunk of his 2020 salary ($13.5 million in total guarantees). Even then, the return would be minimal, probably a Day 3 draft pick.

"The Jets, who felt Bell gained weight and lost explosiveness as the season went on, have to make it work for another year."

Bell's standing in New York has been in question since he arrived with questions about whether head coach Adam Gase wanted him there. Gase fueled speculation during his 2019 exit press conference in December:

Bell squashed any idea that he and Gase don't get along to TMZ earlier this month: "Me and Coach Gase had our exit meeting. It was fine, so we straight. Yeah, we good."

Jets general manager Joe Douglas threw his weight behind Bell in early January. "We value Le'Veon Bell," Douglas said on ESPN's The Michael Kay Show (h/t Pro Football Talk's Charean Williams). "We value the competitor. We value the teammate. We're excited [for him] being in our program another year, going through our offseason again."

However, Douglas apparently shopped Bell prior to last season's trade deadline:

Bell did not produce up to the standard he set for himself from 2013-17 before sitting out all of 2018 over a contract dispute with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Michigan State product rushed for just 245 yards and three touchdowns on 245 carries in 15 starts. He also posted 461 yards and one touchdown on 66 catches.

Other numbers indicate that it was not all on Bell, even if his explosiveness was compromised:

The Jets finished 7-9.