NFL roundup: Le’Veon Bell hopes to stay with the Pittsburgh Steelers

As the Pittsburgh Steelers look towards the 2017 NFL regular season, the hope is that running back Le’Veon Bell will be back with the team.

Le’Veon Bell is one of the best running backs in the NFL, and he has played his entire career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bell led the Steelers to  the AFC Championship Game this past season, but had to be removed from the game due to groin issues. He is going to be free agency after the season ends, and while there are no guarantees he will be back with the Steelers, that is his hope moving forward. The Steelers are already dealing with the possibility of playing without Ben Roethlisberger next season, so losing Bell would be a crushing loss.

The New England Patriots are the favorites to win Super Bowl LI, which is slated to kick off at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday. If the Pats do hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the fifth time in Tom Brady’s career, it would mean an uncomfortable reunion for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the Patriots. While Goodell has said it is a non-issue, there has to be some tension there, as he went out of his way to make sure Brady was suspended for his role in Deflategate two years ago.

Staying with the Patriots, it was announced on Wednesday that they would be playing in Mexico City next season. The Oakland Raiders will host the Patriots, making it the second year in a row that the Silver and Black will play in front of the fans in Mexico. Last year, the Raiders beat the Houston Texans down in Mexico, and with all the Raiders fans in the building, it kind of looked like a home game for Derek Carr and company.

The theme for this roundup is the Patriots, who may bid farewell to their backup quarterback this offseason. The Cleveland Browns hold two picks in the first round, but it is apparent that they are still interested in swinging a trade for Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo played very well for the Pats when Brady was suspended this season, and many believe he has the  talent to be a starter for a long time in the NFL.

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Finally, some news out of the desert. While the Arizona Cardinals will be looking for a bounceback season in 2017, they may have to do it without their starting quarterback. Carson Palmer has taken his children out of school, and moved out of the state, which could be a bad sign for the Cards. Palmer has said that he will only come back if his body allows him to, and the fact that he has moved from Arizona could mean that the Cards will head into next season with Drew Stanton as their starter.