Even though the Jets and Le'Veon Bell had long been tied together by free-agency rumors, New York signing the 27-year-old star running back was not necessarily going to be a risk worth taking. Some would have gone as far as calling it a bad idea.
With Bell being so outwardly motivated by money and once tweeting that $60 million "ain't enough to come run with the Jets," the expectation of the player riddled with a history of injuries and suspensions was a new record for dollars paid to a RB in the NFL. A guarantee of $45 million, what Todd Gurley got from the Rams, was believed to be the minimum required to sign Bell, who sat out the 2018 season after refusing to sign an extension with the Steelers that reportedly would have paid him up to $70 million over five years.
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Not all risk was eradicated early Wednesday morning when the Jets reportedly managed to agree with Bell on contract terms that, compared to those expectations, are a bargain. Just the vast majority of it.
According to multiple reports, New York is signing bell to a four-year contract worth $52.5 million with $35 million guaranteed. Though details of the contract’s structure were not immediately reported, the Jets getting Bell for no more than $13.13 million per season is a good sign. ESPN reported they "held firm on their offer" Tuesday night despite somewhat of a bidding war with the 49ers.
That context is important, because it proves general manager Mike Maccagnan and those in New York’s front office were not willing to overpay for Bell even though, timing-wise, they could have justified doing so.
Now — not last year or next year — is the time to make the aggressive roster moves the Jets are making.
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New York is following a trendy team-building formula. Now armed with confidence in a quarterback who will earn an average annual salary of just $7.56 million on his rookie contract over the next three seasons, the Jets are operating in what can be called the Sam Darnold window, a chance to support a talented passer without the burden of paying said passer a crippling amount of money. Darnold will not take up more than $9.6 million of the team's salary-cap space until 2022, the option year of his deal.
In addition to the Bell signing, the Jets have splashed in free agency via reported contracts with linebacker C.J. Mosley, wide receiver Jamison Crowder and wide receiver Josh Bellamy. They also reached an agreement with guard Kelechi Osemele after a trade, and their free-agency agreement with outside linebacker Anthony Barr fell through. Even without the Barr signing, this is quite a plunge into the free-agency pool.
Yes, New York had the financial means to be so aggressive with the second most salary-cap space in the NFL for 2019. But keep in mind the salary cap, which was set at $188.2 million per team this year, is expected to continue to rise, meaning the amounts of money being paid to free agents will rise with it.
For example, some might say the Jets overpaid for Mosley on a five-year contract worth $85 million with $51 million guaranteed. Those people might feel that way until 2020, when another linebacker likely earns a deal worth more. And then even more in 2021.
This year's free-agency market also happened to line up with the Jets' team needs. With new coach Adam Gase installing a new defensive coordinator in Gregg Williams, New York needed a player like Mosley to play inside linebacker in its 3-4 scheme. (And, yes, it could have used Barr outside. Oh well.) It needed a speedy receiver like Crowder to play the Albert Wilson role in Gase's offense. It needed a guard like Osemele to replace James Carpenter. There is not a better time for such a personnel influx than when a team is ushering in a new coaching staff.
Which brings us back to Bell.
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One can theorize any number of ways Gase can deploy arguably the best rushing-receiving combo back the league has seen. And frankly, even a small upgrade at running back would have benefited a team that went 4-12 last season with an offense that finished 29th in total yards and 26th in rushing yards. Yet, the Jets landed a star.
Sure, Bell has played just two full seasons in his five-year career due to the aforementioned injuries and suspensions. And sure, one can question Bell’s motivation in signing with a franchise he previously has disparaged. These risks were the reasons a simple question would have been presented to the Jets had they given him the record deal many anticipated:
Why?
In the wake of the Jets signing Bell in a more cost-effective manner, the question has changed:
Why not?