Jets' GM Joe Douglas: If teams call about Le'Veon Bell, I'll listen
New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas held his end-of-season news conference on Tuesday, and while he noted that 7-9 was not the record the team was hoping for, he also pointed out the Jets’ 6-2 record over the second half of the season.
When it came to running back Le’Veon Bell, he once again gave a look at both sides of the coin.
‘My personal experience has been very positive’
Douglas was of course asked about Bell, whom the Jets signed in March, before Douglas was hired.
“My personal experience with Le’Veon has been very positive,” Douglas said, via Brian Costello of the New York Post. “He’s done everything we asked him to do.”
Bell, who sat out the 2018 season because he did not want to play under the franchise tag with the Pittsburgh Steelers, had the lowest numbers of his career, with just 52.6 rushing yards per game and 83.3 yards from scrimmage per game.
‘If teams do call, I’m going to listen’
While Douglas may like Bell personally, he wouldn’t commit to the two-time All-Pro being around New York for the long haul.
There were reports around the trade deadline that the Jets were already shopping Bell — Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson reported in the spring that head coach Adam Gase doesn’t believe in paying running backs as much as Bell is earning — and he could still be traded.
“If teams do call, I’m going to listen,” Douglas said, though he said he couldn’t predict how those talks would go.
In 2017, Bell had just shy of 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns on 406 touches.
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