Jets' Adam Gase says it was 'best that we part ways' with Le'Veon Bell

NEW YORK — The New York Jets’ decision to move on from Le’Veon Bell was a stunner. For a while now, though, it appeared inevitable.

The former Pittsburgh Steelers running back never seemed to mesh with Adam Gase or his offense during the past season-plus. And Bell made it clear he wasn’t thrilled with his role.

So, his release Tuesday night wasn’t completely a surprise — although the timing was. Rather than the Jets waiting to try to trade him at the deadline in three weeks, they decided to cut ties now with a player for whom there were such high hopes.

“That was kind of the consensus we came to last night,” Gase said Wednesday. “Spoke with him, and for us, we just felt like it was best that we part ways.”

Bell was not seen as a long-term part of the Jets’ future, even though he signed a four-year, $52 million deal with the team last offseason. He was likely to be a salary-cap cut next offseason, so New York tried to find a trade partner. The Jets also gave Bell and his agent permission to explore trades on their ends, but there were no takers.

Bell’s $8 million injury guarantee for 2021 was a hindrance for some, even with the Jets willing to pick up some of the $6 million remaining on his guaranteed base salary for this year. So Bell is a free agent and can sign with any other team after 4 p.m. Wednesday.

“For us, I want nothing but the best for him and he gets an opportunity to go somewhere else and have success,” Gase said. “It’s tough. It’s a tough decision to make, but we felt like that was the best for us with where we’re at right now.”

The Jets are 0-5 for the first time since 1996 and will head to Miami to take on the AFC East-rival Dolphins on Sunday. Gase remains squarely on the hot seat, and this move will further alienate the coach from the frustrated fanbase, which blames him for the team’s struggles on the field and its inability to keep star players happy.

Bell twice used social media this season to express unhappiness about how he was being used. The latest came last Sunday after he returned from missing three games with a hamstring injury. He “liked” a few social media posts that criticized Gase’s use of Bell in the passing game — he caught one pass on his only target — and another that suggested the Jets trade him.

“For whatever reason, it didn’t work out,” Gase said. “Our team moving forward to Miami, that’s our No. 1 concern right now.”

When asked whether he agreed with the perception of some that he misused Bell, Gase said only: “It’s irrelevant at this point.”

In the offseason, Gase insisted he would try to figure out how to maximize Bell’s skills in the offense this season. That never materialized, mostly because the running back wasn’t on the field much.

“Yeah, I mean, the first game he played a half and got injured, and then he played this last game,” Gase said. “So, it is what it is and it’s the decision we made, and we’ve moved on to this one.”

With Bell gone, rookie La’Mical Perine will likely see an increased role in the offense and likely get most of the carries over 37-year-old Frank Gore. The Jets also have Ty Johnson on the active roster and Josh Adams on the practice squad.

“Perine’s definitely going to get a bigger role,” Gase said. “Frank, you’re not going to lean on him because of where he’s at in his career. Getting Perine involved is going to be critical.”