Jets, Raiders reported favorites to land Le’Veon Bell

The most coveted skill position player on the free-agent market is running back Le’Veon Bell, and it looks like the Jets and Raiders are the leading contenders to land him.

Despite sitting out the entire 2018 season, Le’Veon Bell should get paid handsomely on the open market. A lot of teams have checked in on the former Steelers’ star, but the Jets and the Raiders are the most aggressive suitors according to our own Matt Verderame.

NBC Sports’ Peter King noted that  league sources believe the Jets are the favorites to land Bell since they have a ton of money to spend and a General Manager in Mike Maccagnan who needs to win this season.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport also says the Raiders have interest in Bell, which would reunite him with former teammate Antonio Brown. The Raiders already made a splash by landing Trent Brown in free agency and could look to double down with Bell.

Verderame notes that Bell would prefer to play in Miami or Kansas City, but neither team is prepared to blow him out of the water like the Jets or Raiders could. Bell forfeited $14 million in 2018 by sitting out the year and will look to recoup that in the form of a high guaranteed salary in his next contract.

Barring something unexpected, Bell is likely going to end up with the Jets or Raiders in the next several days. Players of Bell’s caliber rarely hit the open market, so he could be in for a monster contract.

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There is certainly risk attached to Bell because of his decision to sit out a year and all of the carries he took for the Steelers, but both the Jets and Raiders can afford to take that risk. Each franchise is in desperate need of a playmaker and has money to burn, so taking the plunge on Bell makes more sense for them than it would for more cash-strapped teams like the Chiefs.