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Jets Head Coach Adam Gase Calls Le'Veon Bell Trade Rumors 'Ridiculous

Gase was reportedly upset over former Jets GM Mike Maccagnan signing Bell to a four-year, $52.5 million deal in March. 

Jets head coach Adam Gase dismissed speculation regarding a potential trade of running back Le'Veon Bell on Thursday and called the idea "ridiculous," according to ESPN's Rich Cimini

New York signed Bell to a four-year, $52.5 million deal on March 13, which came just two months after Gase was named head coach. Gase was reportedly unhappy giving any running back such a large contract. The decision was largely made by ownership and former general manager Mike Maccagnan, per the New York Daily News' Manish Mehta

"Whether or not we disagreed on anything financially, that's a completely different story than the person or the player," Gase said at the Jets' practice facility in Florham Park, N.J. "That's where a lot of this gets misconstrued. Le'Veon Bell is a great player. He's a good person."

Gase is likely to have a greater role in personnel decisions moving forward. Maccagnan was fired on May 15 and Gase has been selected to lead the search for a new general manager. 

The Jets finished last in the AFC East in 2018 at 4–12 before selecting Alabama DL Quinnen Williams with the No. 3 pick in April's NFL draft. New York has not reached the postseason since 2010. 

Gase joins the Jets after three seasons as the Dolphins’ head coach. He went 23–25 with Miami, reaching the postseason in 2016.