Talk that the Steelers could trade unsigned franchise running back Le’Veon Bell continues, and at least one interested team has been identified.
The Jets have reached out to the Steelers about trading for Bell, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports.
What would it take to get a deal done? Presumably the Steelers wouldn’t trade Bell for anything less than the compensatory pick they would get if he leaves in free agency next year. That pick would likely be a 2020 third-round pick, so the Jets would at least have to offer something better than that.
But how much are the Jets willing to offer for a player who would come in during the season, need time to learn the playbook, cost $855,000 a week, and potentially leave in free agency in the offseason? The Jets would likely want some kind of assurance that Bell would be willing to sign a long-term deal with them after the season, but no deal could be consummated until after the season.
So getting a deal done will be tricky. But the Jets are at least interested enough to give the Steelers a call.