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The promise of winning is an old one for the Jets, and one they never seem to fulfill. The franchise is starving for success. So is the fan base. They are all wounded from no playoff berths in the last nine seasons.
There should be optimism with a new GM, a coach heading into his second season, and a supposed franchise quarterback heading into his third. All of it makes this feel in some ways like a fresh start. But it's understandable that fans are wary. They are used to rebuilds and restarts that rarely seem to work as expected.
So for all the optimism, there's also pressure on the Jets to finally get this right.
With that in mind, SNY will count down the Top 5 Jets under the most pressure this season over the next few weeks. The countdown begins at No. 5 …
Running back Le'Veon Bell
The Le'Veon Bell the Jets signed to a four-year, $52.5 million contract last March is not the Bell they got last season. He only had 780 rushing yards, plus another 461 receiving yards on 66 catches. He was, in every way, a shell of himself as a player. It was his worst season in the league.
Now add in the fact that Jets head coach Adam Gase didn't want to spend all that money on a running back, but he was signed anyway by former Jets GM Mike Maccagnan. And add in that Bell is owed $24.5 million over the final two years of his contract. And don't forget that he's 28 years old, too. That's why almost everyone agrees that this is Bell's final season with the Jets, that he'll either be traded at some point or released after the season.
Unless he proves to the Jets he's worth keeping around.
Even Bell admitted that his 2019 season was far below expectations, but don't overlook all the extenuating circumstances that weighed him down. Remember, he started the year having not played in 21 months -- not even a single snap in the preseason -- so there was bound to be some rust. Then, the Jets lost quarterback Sam Darnold after the opener, sending the entire offense into a quarterback-less spiral that lasted until mid-October, and put Bell in the unfortunate position of being the only dangerous player on a one-dimensional team.
Video: Barkley and Bell: What are the odds on rushing yards
And Bell never complained. He became, by all accounts, a model teammate despite the ridiculous pounding he took behind a terrible offensive line. He had a bad line in front of him, no other playmakers around him, no quarterback for a quarter of the season, and he was playing for a coach that didn't seem to want him, yet spent the season saying and doing all the right things.
That matters, and there is value in that. It also makes it a little easier to imagine him being in a Jets uniform in 2021 if he can turn his numbers around on the field.
And that's where the pressure comes in.
Jets GM Joe Douglas has rebuilt the offensive line, and though it may take some time to gel, there is no doubt the talent in front of Bell is better. Darnold is healthy (and the Jets hope he will stay that way) and in his second year running Gase's offense, so Bell should get a lot more help. The pieces are in place for Bell to prove he's still the same player he was in 2017, his final year on the field with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
A season of 1,200 rushing yards and another 600 receiving doesn't seem like too much to ask.
It's also necessary if Bell wants to have any hope of staying with the Jets. And if he doesn't, it's necessary for him to prove he's still an elite running back, worthy of another big pay day from someone else. Teams are often notoriously wary of paying running backs big money, especially when they start to approach age 30. It's a dangerous position where injuries are a huge risk, and when age takes its toll on talent, the drop-off can be quick.
Knowing that, Bell needs to prove he's still good enough to buck those trends. He needs to stay healthy and put up the kind of numbers that the Jets -- or at least Maccagnan -- were expecting. His future in New York depends on it.
His future in the NFL might depend on it, too.