Where there is Le'Veon Bell, there is a rumor, and the one that came out Friday is a juicy one.
With the Jets firing general manager Mike Maccagnan this week, New York has put coach Adam Gase in charge temporarily.
And according to one ESPN analyst, this could result in a roster move involving the recently acquired running back.
"If there's a suitor, I could absolutely see the Jets trading (Bell) before the start of the season," John Clayton told 93.7 the Fan in Pittsburgh on Friday.
.@JohnClaytonNFL on Le'Veon Bell: "If there's a suitor, I could absolutely see the Jets trading him before the start of the season."
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) May 17, 2019
There's a lot of things that need to be addressed here.
For one, this statement comes after a report emerged in the New York Daily News this week that Gase didn't want to sign Bell to a big contract. He also didn't want to give any running back a big deal at all.
Sources: Jets HC Adam Gase didn’t want to sign Le’Veon Bell... and made it clear he didn’t want to spend big money on any running back.
— Manish Mehta (@MMehtaNYDN) May 15, 2019
Story: https://t.co/eigmBLSQOV pic.twitter.com/YvAgogirTj
So now that Maccagnan is gone, it would appear Gase could have the motivation to move a contract he didn't even want.
That assumption is a little flimsy without understanding Gase's history. When the Jets coach was with the Dolphins he orchestrated a trade of running back Jay Ajayi to the Eagles.
Gase did this one year after Ajayi rushed for 1,272 yards and eight touchdowns. He clearly has no qualms with trading talented players so why wouldn't he do it again with Bell?
So does this mean Bell will be dealt by the Jets months after signing a massive deal with the team? No. But it would appear the possibility is certainly there.