NFL Rumors: Le'Veon Bell Prefers Joining Miami Dolphins

The future of Le'Veon Bell remains a mystery as he awaits where he will end up next NFL season. Although the New York Jets were initially mentioned as a prime destination, it seems that 26-year-old running back is now singing a different tune.

According to Fansided, Bell wants to play for the Miami Dolphins. Sources claimed that the inactive NFL player hopes to sit down and talk with the Dolphins once the NFL free agency tampering period ends on March 13.

Bell sat out the entire 2018 NFL season after he refused to sign the franchise tag for the second consecutive season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ironically, he spent most of his time in Miami trying to grow his rap career. With friends and connections in the area, along with great weather, Bell sees Miami as his preferred option.

This development comes after Bell was previously believed to be headed to the Jets. The reason behind New York as being a plausible landing spot at the time is because the Jets had a lot of ex-Steelers with the team. That includes Kelvin Beachum who says Bell could get vindicated from the criticism he got sitting out the NFL season.

With the sudden change of preference, it remains to be seen if the Dolphins would be interested in taking him. Should they do, they will have to create some salary space since they only have an estimated $13.99 million in cap space.

If they are bent on taking Bell in, there could be some casualties to make it all happen. Among the players who may need to be released include Ryan Tannehill, Danny Amendola, and Robert Quinn. The combined salary of the three accounts for nearly $32 million, something that could help general manager Chris Grier to make the deal work.

For now, all this should be taken with a grain of salt. There are plenty of questions surrounding the potential NFL deal with Bell. Being out for a full season raises questions on his conditioning even if he is considered one of the top running backs available in the free agent market this offseason.

With the Dolphins in rebuilding mode, taking in Bell could be a good building block. He is best remembered for authoring consecutive Pro Bowl seasons, notching more than 2,500 rushing yards and 20 total touchdowns. This alone should sway the Miami Dolphins on seriously considering him.