The Kansas City Chiefs have added another weapon to their high-potent offense. On Thursday, the Chiefs signed three-time All-Pro running back Le’Veon Bell to a one-year contract, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. This comes shortly after Bell was released by the New York Jets.
The Chiefs officially announced the news on Twitter, and Bell also went two social media to confirm he’s now a Chief. Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes saw the tweet from Bell and wrote: “Welcome my brother! Let’s get it!” The next step for Bell is he will go through five days of COVID-19 testing before he can join the team, according to NFL protocols. This means he won’t play on Monday when the Chiefs play the Buffalo Bills.
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Kansas City, #ChiefsKingdom, thank you for the opportunity 🙏🏾 let’s go! pic.twitter.com/6aEY9GaoA7
— Le’Veon Bell (@LeVeonBell) October 15, 2020
ESPN reported that Bell narrowed his choices down to the Chiefs, Miami Dolphins and Bills. The Chiefs are currently 4-1 and are looked at as a favorite to win the Super Bowl again. The team drafted Clyde Edwards-Helaire back in April and also have Darrel Williams, Darwin Thompson and DeAndre Washington at running back. They lost starting running back Damien Williams before the start of the season as he opted out for COVID-19 reasons.
The Jets released Bell after signing him to a four-year contract last season. Bell was frustrated with how he was being used on offense and never was on the same page with head coach Adam Gase who was against the signing of Bell from the beginning.
“After having conversations with Le’Veon and his agent and exploring potential trade options over the past couple of days, we have decided to release Le’Veon,” Jets general manager Joe Douglas said in a statement. “The Jets organization appreciates Le’Veon’s efforts during his time here, and we know he worked hard to make significant contributions to this team. We believe this decision is in the best interests of both parties and wish him future success.”
Bell, 28, was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round in 2013. He reached the Pro Bowl in 2014, 2016 and 2017 with the Steelers and also was selected to the All-Pro team each of those years. Bell’s best season was in 2017 when he rushed for 1,291 yards and nine touchdowns while recording 85 receptions for 655 receiving yards and two scores. He sat out the entire 2018 season due to the contract dispute with the Steelers.
