The Jets’ offseason workout program kicked off a couple of weeks ago. With a new head coach in Adam Gase and a handful of fresh faces in town, now is the time for the players and coaches to get acclimated before training camp begins in late July.
Instead of spending the offseason working out with his new team, prized free agent acquisition Le’Veon Bell has been elsewhere. New York’s new running back has not been present for any of the Jets’ voluntary offseason workouts. Considering New York shelled out $27 million in guaranteed money to land him, Bell’s absence has rubbed some people the wrong way.
Some of the criticism surrounding Bell’s decision to not participate in the Jets’ voluntary minicamp at the end of April is warranted. After sitting out all of last season due to a contractual dispute, it’s not a good look for Bell to skip out on workouts with his new team. He is also now one of the faces of New York’s offense but has not been around to get to know Sam Darnold and the rest of his teammates.
Despite all of this, Bell’s absence isn’t that big of a deal. As long as Bell is ready to go once September rolls around, none of this matters.
Every offseason, players around the NFL skip offseason minicamps and OTAs. Many of those players are stars and faces of their respective franchises. Bell is simply taking advantage of the CBA policy that allows players to miss these workouts and not take a financial hit.
It’s not like Bell is lounging around on his couch playing video games. Even though he’s not working out with the Jets, Bell is going through his offseason workout regiment to stay in shape. He also stopped by team facilities once he signed to pick up an iPad that has New York’s playbook, so it’s not as if he’s neglecting to learn the offense, either.
Bell took to Instagram to defend his absence, but he shouldn’t have to. He knows himself better than anyone else and knows what it takes to get ready for the season. These are offseason workouts that Bell can afford to miss while doing his own thing. Frankly, voluntary minicamps and OTAs don’t make or break a team’s preparation for the upcoming season. That’s what training camp is for.
Gase doesn’t mind Bell’s absence and neither do his teammates. Jamal Adams went as far as responding to Bell’s Instagram post to show support for his new teammate’s decision. If Bell’s coaches and teammates aren’t ticked off that he isn’t in the building, neither should the fans.
As long as Bell produces once the regular season kicks off, all of the anger surrounding his offseason absences will be forgotten. Even if he gets out of the gates slow, it won’t be because he missed a minicamp in April.
Bell is doing what he thinks is best for him. It’s hard to argue with that.
