Le'Veon Bell has arrived for minicamp.
The Jets running back elected to skip voluntary workouts in April and announced on social media in May he would join the team when it was "time to play football." It appears that time is now, as New York posted a video of Bell sporting his No. 26 jersey Monday ahead of mandatory practice scheduled to begin Tuesday.
.@LeVeonBell has that 2️⃣6️⃣ on for the first time! pic.twitter.com/Jt85ARVH5u
— New York Jets (@nyjets) June 3, 2019
Bell, 27, signed a four-year, $52 million deal with the Jets in March. The three-time Pro Bowl player didn't take the field for the Steelers in 2018 because he held out over a contract dispute.
Jets coach Adam Gase said he's confident Bell is a good fit with the team.
“Le’Veon Bell is a great player,” Gase told the New York Post in May. “He is a good person. He’s been in constant contact with me. I enjoyed my interaction with him when he was here, when he came on his visit for his physical, when we signed him, when he was here for the beginning of phase one. He texts me all the time. All that stuff you get on Instagram, I get it first. That’s how I know what he’s doing.”
“I’m excited to get him in the offense so I can figure out what else can we do with him, what hasn’t he done, what can he be great at in this system."
Bell has totaled 5,336 rushing yards, 2,660 receiving yards and 42 touchdowns through his first five NFL seasons. He is expected to improve a Jets team that finished last season with a 4-12 record and ranked 26th in rushing yards.