Le’Veon Bell admits he was ready to retire before signing with Bucs
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers addressed their depleted backfield by inking former Pro Bowl running back Le’Veon Bell to a deal.
Bell spent the last few weeks without a team after the Baltimore Ravens parted ways with him. During his introductory press conference with the Buccaneers, he revealed that he heavily considered stepping into retirement.
“I’m not even gonna lie — I got to the point where I had thought about kinda calling it quits, just ’cause of the fact that it wasn’t working out for me the last couple spots I’ve been at,” Bell said via ESPN.
“This was like literally the only spot that I felt like made me want to play football and go out there and be excited to play. This was like literally the only place that could have called me and got me to really go play. I was gonna start boxing and focusing on boxing.”
Since leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency, Bell’s career has hit a downward spiral as his production and playing time has significantly declined. He joined the Kansas City Chiefs last season, but his decreased role didn’t sit well with him, leading him to express his disdain during his departure.
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The 29-year-old is entering a situation where he could play a prominent immediate role due to injuries. Leonard Fournette is dealing with a hamstring issue that forced him to exit Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints.
Meanwhile, Giovani Bernard was placed on the injured reserve due to knee and hip issues. He could quickly latch onto a consistent role in the Buccaneers’ push toward securing a second straight Super Bowl.
