Oakland Raiders: 5 Realistic targets in 2019 NFL free agency
By Cory Kinnan
Le’Veon Bell
If there is one team and one person that is willing to pay the price for Le’Veon Bell that he is asking, it would be John Gruden and the Oakland Raiders. Bell is demanding anywhere between $15-17 million on a long-term deal for his services, and has proven that he is willing to go to the extremes in order to obtain that contract after sitting out the entire 2018 season.
All three running backs who contributed on the ground for the Raiders in 2018 are expected to hit the open market as the contracts of Marshawn Lynch, Doug Martin, and Jalen Richard are all set to expire. If Gruden and the Raiders prefer to go after a bellcow rather than a running back by committee, then why not go hard after the services of Leveon Bell?
On a business level, the signing of Bell would also improve league-wide perception and give fans a reason to come to the stadium, buy tickets, and jerseys in 2018. Also, as the team prepares to move to Las Vegas, taking a superstar with them would only help smooth over the transition.
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There is no way to tell if Bell will get his demands met, but Oakland definitely has a hole to fill at the running back position and the capital to move Bell to the Bay Area.