Le’Veon Bell: 5 best fits in NFL free agency
By John Buhler
Detroit Lions
NFC, North
If Bell wants to leave Pittsburgh, get paid, and still make the NFL Playoffs, perhaps the best landing spot for him would be the Detroit Lions. Detroit went 9-7 in 2016 and made it into the NFC Playoffs as a wild card team.
The Lions arrived a year early under new general manager Bob Quinn. Detroit saw the rise of star quarterback Matthew Stafford and a defense that would bend but didn’t break. Quinn did a lot of this without many of his guys. Teryl Austin and Jim Bob Cooter are two strong coordinators, but Jim Caldwell is only a middle of the pack head coach.
The more Quinn has his footprint on this football team, the better it will become. Keep in mind that the former New England Patriots front office executive will have $38,446,088 to work with in terms of the salary cap. In short, Quinn can offer Bell the type of money he’ll want to land him in free agency.
Leaving historically relevant Pittsburgh for historically inept Detroit would be a bold move for Bell. However, the Lions look good heading into 2017. They haven’t peaked yet, something that may have already happened with the Mike Tomlin Steelers.
Bell can continue to dominate in a cold-weather division, but will get the luxury of playing nine games annually inside. Ben Roethlisberger is in the twilight of his NFL career, while Stafford is just now hitting his stride. Bell to Detroit feels like decent possibility.