At around 3:45 p.m. ET on Tuesday, it became official that Le'Veon Bell's season was coming to an end.
By not reporting to the Steelers by the 4 p.m. deadline, Bell gave up his $14.5 million franchise tag, and set his sights on signing a hefty contract in 2019.
Le'Veon Bell is not reporting to the Steelers by the 4 pm deadline today and is now ineligible to play the remainder of the 2018 season, source tells ESPN. His season is over.
Bell will become an unrestricted free agent this winter, when the bidding for his services will begin.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 13, 2018
On that note, one sportsbook has released updated odds on the 26-year-old's next team.
Odds on Le'Veon Bell's Next Team
- New York Jets: 3-1
- Oakland Raiders: 5-1
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 7-1
- Philadelphia Eagles: 7-1
- Green Bay Packers: 15-2
- San Francisco 49ers: 9-1
- Indianapolis Colts: 9-1
- Baltimore Ravens: 9-1
- Houston Texans: 12-1
- Seattle Seahawks: 16-1
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 16-1
- New England Patriots: 33-1
At 16-1, the Steelers are nowhere near the top of this list, and that should come as no surprise.
Given how Bell's relationship with the team has seemingly deteriorated, on top of the fact that James Conner has been able to fill his role perfectly, it would take quite a turn of events for Bell to end up in black and gold again next year.
Instead, the top spot on the list belongs to the Jets, whose +300 odds imply a 25% chance that they'll land Bell prior to Week 1 of next season. The Jets have current starting running back Isaiah Crowell signed through the 2020 season, but are projected to have $95 million in cap space in 2019, according to Over The Cap.
The Raiders, Bucs, Eagles and Packers round out the top five, none of whom have a rushing attack currently in the top half of the league (by total rush yards).
And just as a way of allowing every fan outside of New England to imagine their worst nightmare, oddsmakers have the Patriots listed at 33-1 — last of the 12 teams listed.
