Prediction: Bells strategy blows up in his face and he gets few offers from teams. They start to low ball him at 10 mil per year..desperate Jets sign this headache on the cheap . Not a great idea..but hopefully we only toy with this idea only after we shore up the OL . Plus we will need a strongman HC like Tomlin to rein in Bells antics Again, not entirely sure if this is a great idea or if this even happens, plays out this way
Maybe true if your team is loaded with other weapons, but the weaknesses of a mediocre oline can very much be masked with a guy like that, especially since he can also run routes with the best of em.
I really really doubt it. Bell will be one of the top play makers on the market next year and there will be teams looking for exactly that. I don't buy that he gets low balled that badly. There are plenty of teams with young QBs that could use a running back of that caliber. And if the Jets got him for $10m I would be celebrating.
He's a great player. Could be Curtis Martin II. I realize the RB position has ben greatly devalued in the modern NFL but if the team has $100 million to spend and they have to spend a good portion of that why not do it on a player that will touch the football at least 300 times (minimum) rushing & receiving every season? A guy that is a top five player at his position?
Because he is 30 years old and will have no incentive to play at an elite level after his payday. He has proven to be a selfish bitch. Bell is not Thomas Jones. He is a punk.
He's not 30. He's in his prime plus he doesn't have the wear and tear on his body that most backs his age have.
You can get the same production with a RB by committee for a fraction of the cost. Bell would be a big splash, ignite the hopes of the fan base and ultimately lead to disappointment .
He's just young enough he should still have a couple more good years left in the tank. Someone will pay him though not $17m a year. You don't need an elite RB to have a good rushing game.
He has more we're and tear then most backs his age have 2 surgeries, and more carries He has more wear and tear then most backs his age. Look at his useage. Even in season shortened by suspension his # of carries increased.
I could understand signing Bell if he was the last piece of a Super Bowl team, but we are nowhere near that level now.
I thought he was a bit older. My bad. Still, he does have a TON of wear and tear. I would be willing to bet that there in no RB in NFL history to have had 1,500+ touches (rushing attempts and receptions) by his 26 birthday.
Selfish player who only cares about money. Do you trust him when the chips are down? 2 years in to his big FA contract and what if he sits again wanting to re-negotiate? Also one strike away from lifetime ban right? QBs are more important to winning titles...NE has proven this for almost 20 years.
Emmitt Smith - 1869 (plus 236 in the playoffs) Edgerrin James - 1755 (plus 126) Walter Payton - 1704 (plus 41) Jerome Bettis - 1603 (plus 91) Curtis Martin - 1487 (almost!) (plus 116) Bell had 1541 going into this year (plus 94); by sitting out the year he'll now be way behind these guys on touches by his 27th birthday, and behind other people too (like Adrian Peterson, for example).
It's cheaper, but you won't get Bell's production. He's also a threat in the receiving game, so defenses will have to adjust. The Jets have had a RB committee for years and it's been mostly crappy. Sure, it's cheaper, but having a guy like that to bail Sam out would be huge, plus he can take it to the house any time he touches the ball and will convert many check downs into first downs. Oline should still be first priority, but there is no reason not to explore this. If the Jets do not, it will probably end up being Buffalo, Arizona or Cleveland that takes him and their QB will blossom. The problem with that is that he IS a WR as well. He'll get around 15, maybe more. Pretty sure he led the league in all purpose yards last year only playing 15 games, but I might be mis-remembering.
I'd bet on a team like the Eagles , or Packers. A contender that could get to a super Bowl with his addition. Maybe Houston. Remember Barkley was going to carry the Giants to the super bowl this season. Our o line is one of the worst in the league and out top 2 RBs are injured, Powell on IR, Crowell nursing and injury. Last year, the Jets actually got better production, more yards on less attempts than Pitt. Does it matter if 1 guy gets all the yards vs 2 getting more on less attempts. Bell is such a threat in the recieving game because of the Steelers recieving Corp. All the talent creates mismatches. The Jets don't have that luxury Look how many teams avg 4.5 yards a carry without paying a RB top WR money.