Former Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets running back Le’Veon Bell has expressed his hopes of making a return to the NFL on several occasions. Could he finally make a comeback in 2024 and reunite with one of his former teams?
Bell seems hopeful that he will in his latest post on Instagram. He posted a picture of himself in a Steelers uniform and captioned it with, “GREAT PHONE CALL TODAY.”
The soon-to-be 32-year-old recently revealed how serious his intentions are in making an NFL comeback in a series of videos he posted on Snapchat over the weekend.
“I’m telling you all right now when I go out there and train in March and if I hit April and I make this decision to come back to play in the NFL again, mark my words down — I will be better than I ever was,” Bell said. “And I will only come back for that one team. You all know who it is. I don’t have to say no team. You all know who it is.”
Bell didn’t specifically name Pittsburgh as the team he wants to join, but his latest Instagram post confirms the belief that it was.
The former No. 48 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft hasn’t played since the 2021 season and he was never himself after leaving the Steelers following the 2018 season.
During the three-time Pro Bowler’s six-year career in Pittsburgh, which included him sitting out the entire 2018 season, he rushed for 5,336 yards and 35 touchdowns while adding 312 receptions for 2,660 yards and seven touchdowns.
If it were up to Bell, he would have rejoined the Steelers much sooner. He issued an apology to fans last summer for leaving the team in 2019.
“I never apologized to the fans for sitting out, or leaving the Steelers,” Bell said. “I never apologized. So, I want to say I apologize for leaving the best damn fans there is in this damn world. I shouldn’t have left. I apologize, I should never have left. I apologize. That’s my fault. That’s on me.”
The Steelers seem to be just fine at running back with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, which certainly hurts Bell’s chances.
If he is open to being Pittsburgh’s No. 3 running back, the team may be open to a reunion on a cheap deal. Fans shouldn’t expect to see the Bell they were used to seeing nearly 10 years ago in the black and gold, however.
