Getty Pittsburgh Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell
While the Oakland Raiders appeared to be cooling off their pursuit of top free-agent running back Le’Veon Bell, things may have just taken yet another turn. Although Bell reportedly has a number of suitors, Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock aren’t throwing in the towel on adding the All-Pro just yet.
As Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported, another big offensive signing for the Raiders “shouldn’t be ruled out.” He also points out that the Raiders are monitoring Bell’s market and have interest in former Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Tyrell Williams.
Raiders already have added WR Antonio Brown and OT Trent Brown. A third splash on offense shouldn’t be ruled out. Team has monitored Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell’s market. Also retains interest in Chargers WR Tyrell Williams.
Going one step further on the Bell situation, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur reported that the water is “still warm” on the situation and that the running back followed Derek Carr on Twitter recently. But if they want to take the full-fledged dive into the Bell sweepstakes, it could mean Oakland has to do so sooner than later.
Shortly after the above reports, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport revealed that it may be down to the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets.
Shortly after this news came to light, Matt Verderame of FanSided stated the Raiders and Bell are “closing in on a deal.”
Indications are that Le’Veon Bell is closing in on a deal with the #Raiders, per source. However, deal is not finalized yet.
Previous Report Points to Raiders Not Making Shortlist
The wild back-and-forth involving the former Pittsburgh Steelers running back has been all over to this point. And most recently, Dave Biddle of 247Sports pointed out that ESPN’s Josina Anderson stated there are six teams with a “good likelihood” to land Bell. At that time, the list did not include the Raiders.
“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 would have made sense considering the contracts which were agreed to with Antonio Brown, Trent Brown and Lamarcus Joyner in free agency. Each deal made a splash and cost the Raiders a pretty penny in the process. Apparently, the team isn’t showing any concern about going all-in with free agent deals at this point.
Beyond that, Matt Schneidman of the Bay Area News Group revealed a few interesting tweets which also may point to Bell and the Raiders being connected. They come from former NFL wideout Antonio Bryant.
Raiders Agree to Big Contracts With New Additions
The newest weapon for Derek Carr in Brown received a pay bump of more than $11 million over the next three years after Oakland traded for him. As ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported, the team also added $30.125 million in guaranteed money and up to $4 million more in incentives over the span of his current deal.
You could argue that the real eye-opening move came in the form of offensive tackle Trent Brown’s agreed upon deal. Schefter also reported those terms, which include $66 million over four years and $36.75 million in guaranteed money.
It’s been nothing short of a spending spree to this point for the Raiders, and Monday night was wrapped up by the team addressing the defensive side of the ball with Joyner. Official terms of his deal have yet to be fully revealed, but ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez pointed to that contract coming in with an average of roughly $10.5 million per year.
Gruden and company seem to have virtually no interest in slowing down until the roster is shaped how they see fit. And if this includes forking over a big contract to Bell, then they appear to be more than willing to go that route. But for what it’s worth, there are likely a few other teams (Jets, Indianapolis Colts) who have the potential to outbid the Raiders more than likely if it comes down to it.
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