Le'Veon Bell has become one of the most sought after free agents on the market, and now it appears that the Oakland Raiders could become a potential suitor. Bell sat out the entire 2018 season, attempting to get more guaranteed money. Pittsburgh has decided to stick with James Conner, who was explosive this season and therefore decided to part ways with Bell. It was a rocky relationship between Bell and Pittsburgh.
Many teams around the league are looking to add a strong playmaker. ESPN has reported that the Oakland Raiders are one team who has shown interest in the established running back. While there are definitely many suitors for Bell, Oakland appears ready to make a move for the running back who recorded 2,000 yards from scrimmage in 2017.
Oakland is looking to add two former Steelers
Adam Schefter reported that Oakland is also interested in picking up Steelers star receiver Antonio Brown, who is available for trade. The Steelers owner already said Brown is leaving town. While Oakland has Jalen Richard, Jordy Nelson, and Doug Martin in the backfield, they do not have any star power surrounding Derek Carr.
Bell would definitely be a major improvement. He has become one of the league's strongest and most dangerous rushers and is also a pass-catcher. Bell would definitely bolster Jon Gruden's franchise.
Bell was hoping to get $17 million a year from the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2018. If enough teams show interest, there's a chance he may get this kind of money from someone. The running back position has become more important than people realize, and with teams looking for playmakers, Bell's decision to skip a season may be paying off.
The Raiders have the money to spend on Bell
This offseason, the Raiders will have $81 million in salary cap space, meaning they can pay Bell what he wants, allowing the Raiders to sign other top free agents.
The Raiders definitely could use Bell. Jon Gruden's debut season as coach did not go as well as he planned. Signing Bell would be a great way to kick off the Raiders move to Vegas in 2020.
While there are multiple teams interested in signing Le'Veon Bell, the Kansas City Chiefs have made it clear they are not interested. 247 Sports says that the Chiefs have shown they are content with using Damien Williams as their lead rusher next season. Williams delivered strong results during the postseason last season. It appears that Bell's salary demands are too high for the Kansas City Chiefs. While the Raiders may appear interested, we will have to wait and see how serious they are.