Le’Veon Bell is a running back who had a storied NFL career with the Steelers, Jets, and other teams. Now, it appears that his football career could be coming to a close. The four-time All-Pro selection took to Instagram on Wednesday to address his future on and off the field.
Bell noted at the end of his post that he will be turning his attention to boxing full time. It is not a one-off, but rather another stage of his career after football. That will start on July 30, when he faces another former running back legend in Adrian Peterson.
Bell’s career is one that has many accolades. He has four All-Pro selections to his name. Over his career, Bell amassed 9,843 yards from scrimmage, including over 6000 rushing yards and over 3000 receiving yards. He was one of the most dynamic all-around backs of the 2010s.
Le’Veon Bell on the field has nothing to be ashamed of if this is it. While Bell did not close that door entirely, it appears he will step away from football for the foreseeable future. The one regret that Bell did highlight in his post was the 2018 season. That was the year that Bell was placed on the franchise tag for a second straight year by the Steelers.
In that season, Bell would not play a down of football, thus leaving $14.5 million guaranteed on the table. When Bell tested the market, he got a sizeable deal from the Jets, but that tenure did not turn out as planned for either side. Thus, while Bell bet on himself, he clearly wishes he could go back and change things.
“I (we, whoever) wish things would’ve played out differently in 2018, like if I legit had a time machine to go back to 2018, that would be soo litttt ? for soo many reasons but I don’t,” Bell said on Instagram. “All I can do, all WE can do is keep moving forward with life. And life has taught me a lot of valuable lessons & formed me into the person I am today.”
If that is it for Bell it was a career highlighted by an incredible peak. The end of his career was not as glamorous as his peaks were. Still, 9 seasons for any running back, especially when that running back gets four All-Pro selections is a successful career.