Running back Le’Veon Bell last played in the NFL in 2021. He wants to return in 2024.
Bell said in a recent Snapchat video that he wants to return to the NFL. And he hopes to play for only one team.
“I won’t start training until like March,” Bell said, via SI.com. “And I’m gonna be honest with myself, I got to go out there and be like, I’m going to put my foot in the ground. Do I feel it? Am I hurting? Can I go out there and really play again? And bro, I’m telling you all right now when I go out there and train in March and if I hit April and I make this decision to come back to play in the NFL again, mark my words down — I will be better than I ever was. And I will only come back for that one team. You all know who it is. I don’t have to say no team. You all know who it is.”
The Jets?
Actually, he’s almost certainly referring to the Steelers. That’s the team that drafted him in the second round out of Michigan State in 2013. Bell had more than 2,200 yards from scrimmage in his second season. He was named an All-Pro that year.
He was an All-Pro for the second time in 2017, while playing under the franchise tag. The next year, he sat out the entire season, forcing his way to unrestricted free agency in 2019. He then signed a four-year, $52.5 million contract with the Jets.
After a disappointing first season in New York, the Jets cut Bell during the 2020 season. He finished the year with the Chiefs, and he split 2021 with the Ravens and Buccaneers. He did not play in the NFL in 2022 or 2023.
Bell has boxed several times over the past two years. In September 2022, Bell won in a fifth-round TKO over future Hall of Fame running back Adrian Peterson.
Still, the odds are against Bell. He turns 32 on February 18. That’s ancient for NFL running backs, especially for those who haven’t played in two years and who haven’t performed at a high level in six years.
