Le’Veon Bell is officially on the comeback trail.
The new Jets running back is tied for the best odds to win the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year award, according to BetOnline.ag.
Bell and 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo are both 4/1 favorites to win the award, ahead of Falcons running back Devonta Freeman (10/1) and Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (14/1). Bell missed the entire 2018 season while holding out for a new contract from the Pittsburgh Steelers before signing a four-year, $52.5 million contract with the Jets this offseason.
Typically a quarterback wins the award (11 times since 2000), but the comeback player honor has actually gone to a diverse group over the past five years – quarterback Andrew Luck (2018), wide receiver Keenan Allen (2017), wide receiver Jordy Nelson (2016), safety Eric Berry (2015) and tight end Rob Gronkowski (2014).
If Bell wins the award at the end of the season, it would be the first time a running back won since Willis McGahee earned the honor for the Bills in 2014. It would also be the first time a player who isn’t coming back from a season-ending injury won the award since Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers in 2013.
Bell was actually in contention for Comeback Player of the Year earlier in his career with the Steelers. A year after he missed all but six games with an MCL injury in 2015, Bell made his second Pro Bowl in 2016 with 1,884 total yards and nine total touchdowns. He finished fourth in the voting for the Comeback Player award behind Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson (who won the award), Dolphins defensive lineman Cameron Wake and Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta.
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