New York Jets: All things aside, Jets getting Le’Veon Bell is all that matters
The New York Jets have gotten Le’Veon Bell, their presumptive guy since day one. No matter what, even with all the baggage he comes with simply landing him already changes the Jets franchise.
Say whatever you wish to about the New York Jets and new running back Le’Veon Bell, but his holdout and demand for more money last season while refusing to play for one of the league’s most fabled franchises hijacked the NFL. All season long he was the story. Even up until the midnight hour tonight, he was the story.
Well, finally, the New York Jets are part of the story. They are no longer the joke of a story. Mere hours after the Giants traded Odell Beckham for a mere few draft picks, the Jets sent a message they no longer wish to be the joke of their own market, let alone the league.
All of this does not come a surprise, though. The Jets have a lot of money to spend and the need for an established running back was obvious. But in typical Jets fashion, that does not mean this news came easy.
They were allegedly in on Matt Paradis, didn’t go after him to make room for Bell. Then, they allegedly got a verbal agreement from Anthony Barr, making us wonder if they would have room for Bell. Ultimately, all of that is null and void. The Jets have their man.
While the focus does not entirely shift to the draft now, it pretty much does. The Jets completed their one true mission this free agency period. They got Le’Veon Bell. It doest not matter he once tweeted out he wouldn’t play for the Jets for $60M (at least that’s what Twitter seems to think), he is getting even less. It does not matter whatever he did in Pittsburgh.
Why? Because the Jets can no longer afford to keep worrying about stuff like that. They have been in a revolving door of a rebuild. They have never been able to get out of their own way. Now, with a young “franchise QB” in Sam Darnold, they must go for it.
In football, more times that not, the smart thing to do, is just simply acquire talent. If you go out and get the best football players you can the rest will take care of itself. That is what the Jets are finally doing, what they finally have done.
Bell is all about the money, sure, at least probably. But, the Steelers situation isn’t exactly normal either. Bell bet on himself. At the end of the day, it’s the Jets that won that bet, they aren’t paying him as much as he probably thinks he is worth.
It is not often great players like him are free, you sure as heck can’t just assume you will get one similar to him in the draft. That is no longer an issue.
Then, there is concern about the Jets’ offensive line now. That is a non-story. The offseason is just begging now that they have Bell. He is not the product of the Steelers’ system. They didn’t have him all year and they just missed the playoffs.
Le’Veon Bell was the best player on the market. While the details of why he choose the Jets can only be assumed at this point, they still got him, the best players.
That alone instantly makes the Jets a better team. That is without including all the other moves the Jets made this week and will make in the coming weeks. They have their QB, and they just gave him the best possible piece.
While Bell comes with a lot of baggage, and he has not exactly made his self-image all that admirable the last few seasons, he still got him self a fair contract. The Jets still got themselves a great players.
The only thing that matters in the NFL nowadays is winning. The only thing that can cure-all wounds, and even borderline test your moral compass about specific players and their sometimes heinous actions, is if they help win. By making this move the Jets are showing they might finally be going for winning. They had the money to get the player, they wanted the player, they got the player. Right now, it is literally that simple.
Honestly, good for him and good for the Jets. It is not often you look at a situation involving the Jets as a whole and feel encouraged. The Jets got Le’Veon Bell. It all worked out for the New York Jets, for once. Let’s just see how it goes now.
Yes, Le’Veon, you’re back in green.