Jets Talk: NFL's Leading Franchises Prove Le'Veon is Expendable
- iAmMizz!
- Jan 20, 2020
- 5 min read
I want to start by making one thing clear; as a Jets fan, I have gained a certain respect for Le'Veon Bell after watching him play this season. The star running back plays with strength, grit, and determination, every time he steps on the field. He was also a perfect teammate on and off the field in 2019, despite heavy criticism from the media, fans, and even Head Coach Adam Gase (who made it clear that he never wanted to spend that sort of cap space on a RB, no matter who it was). That sort of heart and character is rare, and truly separates the average athletes from the all-time greats. In another scenario, Bell might have been one of my favorite all-time Jets, but in this scenario, he's a square peg in a round hole.
Back in May the Jets acting owner, Christopher Johnson, fired general manager Mike Maccagnan. The action wasn't anything out of the ordinary for Jets fans, it was the timing that was significant, as well as utterly inept. The Jets not only allowed Maccagnan to run the team's 2019 NFL Draft process, selecting the prospects of the franchise's future (something he had a horrible track record of doing during his tenure), they allowed him to spend a key 120+ million in cap space during the free agency period. If you are going to fire a GM, generally speaking, you would do it before these crucial moments have taken place... duh! According to reports, incoming HC Gase had a major problem with two of these signings in particular, creating an immediate rift in the partnership. These signings were MLB CJ Mosley and RB Le'Veon Bell. It wasn't the players that Gase had a problem with, it was the contracts and the positions that Mac chose to allocate big money to. I may not love everything Gase has done as a coach since coming to NY, but I have to say I agreed with this wholeheartedly at the time, and even more-so now (at the season's end).
I am a firm believer in the old adage that football games are won upfront. This mindset values offensive line and defensive line more than skill position players, but also agrees that certain positions shouldn't dominant limited NFL cap space. I was all for the Mosley signing because of his ability to captain a defensive unit throughout his career, handling play-calling and on-field adjustments with intelligence. Injuries happen and I do not fault Mac as much for that failure as I do the Bell signing. The running back position should NEVER be a priority on a rebuilding roster, especially one with no offensive line or ability to block for a RB. Add in the fact that Gase prefers a change of pace burst rusher like Bilal Powell over a patient bell-cow like Le'Veon, and this spelled disaster from day one... and it has been quite disastrous.
Don't think Gase and myself are correct? Let's look around the league then, shall we? The highest paid running backs in football are the following, according to Over the Cap:
1. Ezekial Elliott: 15M average per year (Dallas)
2. Todd Gurley: 14.375M average (LA Rams)
3. Le'Veon Bell: 13.125M average (NY Jets)
4. David Johnson: 13M average (Arizona)
5. Devonta Freeman: 8.25M average (Atlanta)
6. Saquon Barkley: 7.798M average (NY Giants)
7. Jerick McKinnon: 7.5M average (San Francisco)
8. Leonard Fournette: 6.786M average (Jacksonville)
9. Lamar Miller: 6.5M average (Houston)
No other NFL running backs currently average over 6 million per year. Out of these nine RB's, not a single one played on a team that made the playoffs this year. Yes, I am aware that SF and Houston both made the playoffs, but neither McKinnon or Miller played in a single game this season, so they did not contribute and their teams made the playoffs despite this. The only two on this list with slight recent team success are Elliott and Gurley (although the success came before their giant contracts handicapped their respective teams). Freeman was similar in that regard. The analytics are incredibly clear, spending money on RB's hurts your overall chances of creating a championship roster. I'm not saying this cannot be overcome, but the facts are the facts, and the best franchises have come to this realization.
The 49ers are a recent example of this. Sure they may have missed on McKinnon, but this weekend (and this season in general), they haven proven time and time again that they can bully teams with their run game no matter who is carrying the football. It started with Matt Breida, then Tevin Coleman came back from injury and he dominated, even Jeff Wilson Jr. had surges of fantasy relevance this year. Now it has become the Raheem Mostert show (if you didn't see his record breaking performance in the NFC Championship game, check the YouTube highlights).
I'm not saying these guys aren't talented, all NFL athletes are talented, that's why they're in the NFL and not the XFL or the Canadian football league. I'm saying there are plenty of players available for less money that can carry the rock when you have a bone-crushing offensive line plowing Grand Canyon sized gaps for you to run through. The Ravens were another prime blueprint to follow this season. Mark Ingram ran the ball extremely well for them, but when Gus Edwards spelled him he did pretty damn good too. Even rookie Justice Hill had his moments. Why? Because the Ravens O-Line and tight ends were some of the best run blockers in the league. Do the Patriots ever have a high-paid rusher either? No. How about the Kansas City Chiefs? Damien Williams was a guy who barely made the starting lineup in Miami. The Packers and Titans had breakouts from Aaron Jones and Derrick Henry, but both are still cheap, as they haven't been in the league very long. By the way, neither has a bad O-Line, and Titans left guard Rodger Saffold (a huge part of the Rams top notch run game last season) was a free agent who was available this off-season. I desperately wanted the Jets to sign him! He was the number one free agent I wanted. Instead, we traded for a disgruntled and unwanted Kelechi Osemele who Gruden was ready to give away in Oakland. Saffold signed with the Tennessee Titans for less money per year than Le'Veon Bell, and Henry had a career season shortly after like Gurley before him... are you seeing a trend here?
I'm not trying to take away anything from Derrick Henry or Gurley or any of these stud running backs, but most don't last long at the position (unless you're Frank Gore). Bell looked slower in 2019, and his selective style of waiting for holes to open didn't work behind an inferior Jets OL... I doubt he'll improve in 2020 (barring a major bulk up on the blocking side).
So where do we go from here? New GM Joe Douglas seems like my kind of guy. He helped build the Eagles Super Bowl roster that was dominant upfront and is a big proponent of rosters that can win in the trenches. Gase and Douglas seem to agree that Bell does not fit into the Jets future, and Gase even seemed dead-set on showing fans this during the final stretch, using Powell more heavily when Bell missed time. Based on all this, it would seem likely that Bell never plays another game for Gang Green. The problem is, every other NFL team knows that the Jets don't want Bell, and not too many of them are keen on paying him the contract that the Jets signed. New York would LOVE to dump him somewhere, probably for very little in return, aside from a salary dump and low draft capital... the question is, what team wants him?
It is clear to me that Le'Veon Bell is not only expendable this season, trading him is paramount to the Jets long term success. If they cannot move him in year two of his four year deal, they will have much more flexibility to part ways in year three, with much less guaranteed money at stake. I wish you all the best Le'Veon! I really do, this just isn't working out...
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