The New York Jets are not the type to trade against The Vein Bell

Negotiating for Le'Veon Bell would help the Jets win a few more games in 2018, but that will not change the franchise's long-term prospects.

On the one hand, you have to congratulate the New York Jets for their desire to bring a big star to the Big Apple. This is the only rational explanation of the team's interest in negotiating a contract for Pittsburgh Steelers midfielder Le'Veon Bell. The Pro Bowl U-turn would certainly help the Jets be more competitive this season, but they are more than one or two players in the Super Bowl.

Sources in New York insist that the Jets have not yet made a firm offer for Bell, but team officials are convinced that the Steelers are seriously interested in moving it. For those of you who live in a cave, Bell has not yet accepted the Steelers' refusal to grant him the long-term contract extension he believes he deserves.

It is widely accepted that the Steelers will want something more than the compensatory choice they will receive if Bell goes into free agency this summer. For the Jets, the fact that they have already chosen their second round in 2019 because of Sam Darnold's trade complicates things. A third-round pick could be enough to get the Steelers into a deal, but a first-round pick would be too difficult for the Jets.

If the Jets enter into a transaction for Bell, they have the option of signing a long-term contract as a condition of the transaction. Delivering big bucks to Bell may seem good for the next season or two, but he has a lot of miles to go. Any long-term agreement for Bell would seem rather bad in the last years of the contract.

The good thing for the Jets is to stay patient and slowly commit to rebuilding them. The bold decision to acquire Darnold in April proved to be a big deviation from the plan. Changing plans is worth it to get a potential franchise quarter on a rookie contract. Giving additional strengths to a veteran is a good way to block your team in mediocrity.

The only legitimate trade argument for Bell is to help Darnold play a more dynamic role. The Jets are not totally armeless at the moment, but they could use a game changer to relieve their rookie quarterback. There is a certain attraction there, but it is not worth sacrificing valuable project capital.

In the end, only teams that do not participate in the Super Bowl should be interested in an agreement for Bell. The Jets have interesting pieces, but they need several other reasons to improve their list to the point where they are in this conversation. Negotiating for Bell would help the Jets sell tickets and make headlines, but it would make it more difficult for their front office to build a real competitor around Darnold.