Bell becomes an Eagle after Saints decline to match one-year offer

Published: Mar 23, 2010 at 05:30 PM

A New Orleans Saints spokesman said Tuesday night that the team will not match the Philadelphia Eagles' offer to restricted free-agent running back Mike Bell.

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The Saints had until midnight Tuesday to match the Eagles' one-year, $1.7 million offer, but vice president of communications Greg Bensel told The Associated Press in an e-mail that the team would not.

The Eagles will not owe the Saints any compensation for signing Bell, who shared time with Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush in New Orleans' backfield last season. Bell had 654 rushing yards and five touchdowns, and he averaged 3.8 yards per carry.

The Eagles released veteran Brian Westbrook after the season, so they needed a complementary back to pair with second-year pro LeSean McCoy.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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