Will Le'Veon Bell play in 2022? RB reveals plans for upcoming NFL season
Running back Le'Veon Bell was at one point considered the best back in the NFL. He was a vital piece of the Pittsburgh offense and his numbers showed as much.
In three of his first five seasons in the Steel City, Bell was a star, flying past the 1,000-yard rushing mark. He was known for his patience in the run game and once he saw a crease, he was gone. His ability to catch the ball out of the backfield also set him apart from other backs. He was just as much a receiver as a running back.
Now a 30-year-old that has bounced around the league since his ugly split with the Steelers. Bell has given his thoughts on whether he will play in the 2022 NFL season.
Ari Meirov of Pro Football Focus posted via his Twitter account. He said today that Bell's upcoming fight with another running back, Adrian Peterson, is not a one-off. He wants to concentrate on his boxing career and will not be playing football in 2022.
Free Agent RB Le'Veon Bell, who is set to box Adrian Peterson later this month, said today that he won't play football this upcoming season. He wants to focus on his boxing career.
"This is not a one-off. This will be an introduction to everyone on what I've been doing."
What is rather interesting about Bell's words is that he will not be playing football this upcoming season. He is not saying he is done with football altogether, just for this year. This could mean a possibility that we will see the 30-year-old back on an NFL roster in the near future.
Bell was a star until Steelers contract dispute
The running back was part of the 'Three B's' in Pittsburgh. Himself, along with Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown, were a feared trio.
He was an All-Pro in those three seasons as well as being a Pro Bowler as well. But such was his output that he wanted to be paid handsomely. Unfortunately the Steelers dragged their feet and placed the franchise tag on him in 2017.
This led to the running back missing the entire 2018 season over a contract dispute and Pittsburgh placed the franchise tag on him again. In March of 2019, the New York Jets gave the running back a four-year, $52.2 million deal.
Since then, he has not been the same player. In his first season with the Jets, the running back played 15 games and rushed for 789 yards, his lowest since 2015. After that it was only down hill as he bounced around the league. He played with the Ravens and the Buccaneers last year, but was released by the team to make way for Leonard Fournette and is now turning to boxing.
It is a fall from grace for a player who was once considered one of the best backs in the league.