Le’Veon Bell rumors: 5 best fits in NFL free agency

4. New York Jets

If the Jets want to really find out what they have at quarterback with Sam Darnold, they’re going to have to significantly upgrade his weapons. The most direct way to do that would be to add quality at wide receiver, but adding Bell to the mix would give the Jets offense a player who can keep opposing defensive coordinators up at night.

Again, Bell might not be interested in moving to New York because they aren’t a legitimate Super Bowl contender. It’s possible the chance to move to the biggest market in the NFL might appeal to him. He’d certainly have a lot of endorsement options in the Big Apple. That might appeal to his desire for long-term financial security.

For the record, the Jets group of running backs wasn’t terrible last year. Elijah McGuire showed sporadic flashes of competence, but Isaiah Crowell was arguably the offense’s best player. Even so, if the Jets have a chance to replace Crowell with Bell they have to make the move.

Most importantly, having Bell to stretch the opposing secondary will take a ton of pressure off the Jets’ very average group of wide receivers. He’d be more important to Darnold as a pass catcher than as a rusher. The idea of pairing him in two-back sets with Crowell could give New York a lot of interesting offensive possibilities.