The Houston Texans did not make a move on Tuesday’s trade deadline, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t inquiring.
According to Le’Veon Bell himself, Houston attempted to pry the three-time Pro Bowl running back out of the New York Jets’ hands.
On the Uninterrupted “17 Weeks” podcast on SiriusXM Pandora, Bell confirmed that the Jets were shopping him on Tuesday. The Texans, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Kansas City Chiefs, and Green Bay Packers, were in the mix to acquire the running back, per Brian Costello of the New York Post.
Prior reports, specifically from Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, pointed to the Jets wanting to move on from Bell. The Texans were one of the suggested teams to trade for him. A later report from Connor J. Hughes of The Athletic confirmed Houston’s interest.
New York Bell to a four-year $52.5 million deal in 2019 free agency with $27 million guaranteed at signing. Dating back to March, coach Adam Gase reportedly did not want him in the first place; specifically, he didn’t want to pay a running back such a pricey sum.
New York signed Bell with Mike Maccagnan as general manager. Now, with Joe Douglas at the helm, the Jets are rebuilding under a different watchful eye. However, Douglas ultimately chose not to part ways with the talented running back.
Bell is averaging a career-low 3.2 yards per carry and has found the end zone twice. On the season, he has 536 scrimmage yards on 141 touches. He is having the worst year of his career. Bell recorded at least 1,800 scrimmage yards and nine total touchdowns in three of his last four seasons with the Steelers.
Nonetheless, the Texans opted not to perform another blockbuster trade by acquiring Bell. They will stick with Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson for the rest of 2019. Combined, the two have 1,000 scrimmage yards and five total touchdowns on the season.
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