Le’Veon Bell saw the troubling reports emerging on Wednesday after the firing of New York Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan, the man responsible for giving Bell a $52 million deal this offseason.
Jets coach Adam Gase didn’t want to pay Bell — or any running back — big money this offseason, according to multiple reports. Bell addressed that news with a calm, cool and collected response on Twitter.
“There’s been a BUNCH of false reports and speculation about me in the past about things I’ve said and done, so I’m used to this. I don’t jump to conclusions when I hear or see a story that may affect me
Even if reports are true, that won’t stop me from doing what I came here to do…everyone has a job to do, and I’m gonna do mine whether people ‘like’ me or not. I’m here to win football games.”
This offseason, the Jets’ higher-ups were in disagreement about whether they wanted to sign Bell to a major contract. Maccagnan wanted Bell, while Gase and owner Christopher Johnson didn’t want to spend on Bell or any other running back, according to The New York Daily News’ Manish Mehta. It’s hard to justify big money to running backs in today’s NFL when budget options often prove productive.
Ultimately, Maccagnan got what he wanted — until he got fired. And while a report like that could drive a wedge between Bell and Gase, the running back doesn’t seem particularly upset.
That’s the maturity the Jets could hoped for when they guaranteed him $27 million.
