A former Steel City star could be trying for a surprise return.
Former All-Pro running back Le’Veon Bell, who spent five years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, took to social media last week to say that he is considering a return to the NFL after two years away but only wants to play with one team.
“I'm gonna be honest with myself, I got to go out there and be like, I'm going to put my foot in the ground. Do I feel it? Am I hurting? Can I go out there and really play again?,” Bell said in his video, via ESPN. “And bro, I'm telling you all right now when I go out there and train in March and if I hit April and I make this decision to come back to play in the NFL again, mark my words down -- I will be better than I ever was.
“And I will only come back for that one team. You all know who it is. I don't have to say no team. You all know who it is.”
All indications are that Bell is referring to the Steelers, with whom he racked up 5,336 rushing yards, 35 touchdowns and three Pro Bowl nods over the first five years of his career. But after a contract dispute that resulted in him missing the entirety of the 2018 season, Bell moved on, spending time with four different teams over the next three years but never seeing the same level of success as he had in Pittsburgh
“I never apologized to the fans for sitting out, or leaving the Steelers," Bell said. "I never apologized. So, I want to say I apologize for leaving the best damn fans there is in this damn world. I shouldn't have left. I apologize, I should never have left. I apologize. That's my fault. That's on me.”
He did not sign with a team for the 2022 or 2023 seasons and dabbled in professional boxing for a time, leading many to believe he had hung up the cleats, even if there was no official retirement announcement.
Bell did say last offseason that he regretted the way his time in Pittsburgh ended, and he was hoping to retire as a Steeler, maybe getting a couple preseason snaps in before officially ending his career.
But this latest update seems to indicate Bell now wants more than just a cameo, and is indeed looking to make a real comeback -- but only if he can join his preferred team.
Bell will turn 32 later this month, and as mentioned, he’ll have to get back into training in order to fully understand the physical limits of whether he’ll be able to play at an NFL level again.
In addition, the Steelers are not currently lacking options at RB, already having Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren on the roster.
But if April comes around and Bell is feeling like his old self, the possibility will be there of him trying to find a way back on his old squad, hoping to rekindle a relationship that ended on bad terms six years ago.