Getty Pittsburgh Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell
The Oakland Raiders were expected to be in the mix for top NFL free agent running back Le’Veon Bell as of Monday, but that script flipped fairly quickly. It seems due to the large early spending and the trade for Antonio Brown, the Raiders may have faded into the background on negotiations.
As Dave Biddle of 247Sports pointed out, ESPN’s Josina Anderson stated that there are six teams with a “good likelihood” to land Bell at this point, and the list does not include Oakland.
“Josina Anderson of ESPN reports one of the following teams “has a good likelihood” of signing Le’Veon Bell today: Jets, Colts, Ravens, Packers, Texans, Bills.” Biddle revealed.
This can’t be considered all that surprising, as the Raiders addressed a number of positions by agreeing to high-dollar deals on Monday, and also giving Brown a nice pay raise.
Raiders’ Free Agency Moves
The trade for Brown was the headlining move which started things out over the weekend. As Pro Football Talk reported, the former Pittsburgh Steelers wideout received a pay increase to $50.125 million from $38.925 million over the next three seasons. He’ll also earn up to $4 million in incentives over that span and $30.125 million added in guarantees, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Then came a record-breaking contract which was given to offensive tackle Trent Brown worth $66 million over four years with $36.75 million guaranteed, as Schefter also reported.
Former Patriots’ OT Trent Brown intends to sign a four-year, $66 million contract that includes $36.75 million guaranteed with the Oakland Raiders, per source, making him highest paid OL in NFL history.
Last but not least, the Raiders addressed the safety position late in the day. While the exact terms of this agreement haven’t been made revealed to this point, ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez reports the deal is worth roughly $10.5 million per year.
Potential Fits for Le’Veon Bell
While all six of the teams above make sense to some extent in terms of filling a need, some are a bit more surprising than others. The Green Bay Packers have a young duo in Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams, but obviously, have interest in a high-profile upgrade which would shift the outlook drastically. It would be interesting to see what happens with Jones at that point, as he flashed solid upside last season.
The Buffalo Bills also have LeSean McCoy, but he’s heading into the final year of his deal and will turn 31 this season. Beyond that, each of the other teams makes sense on some level, although Marlon Mack broke out a bit for the Indianapolis Colts in 2018.
The teams which make the most sense to keep a close eye on will likely be the New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens and Colts moving forward. As Spotrac details, the Jets and Colts were the top two teams in terms of available cap space prior to the NFL’s legal tampering period. The Ravens came in at No. 14 entering the week, but have a major need at the position.
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