New York Jets

New York Jets running back Le'Veon Bell said Thursday he has a good relationship with head coach Adam Gase after he appeared to lash out at Gase on Twitter last week when Gase removed him from a scrimmage.

"I don't understand why everybody keeps trying to put me and Gase against each other," Bell said, per Al Iannazzone of Newsday. "We're not against each other. ... We actually like each other."

Bell added that last week's situation was a "miscommunication," per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.

"We had a great talk about better communication," he said.

Gase said he pulled Bell from the scrimmage in question over hamstring tightness. Bell quickly responded with a series of tweets that his hamstrings were fine:

But the head coach said last week that the pair cleared the air.

"I was caught off guard a little bit, but we had a good talk," he told reporters Saturday. "I told him I felt like our relationship was way better than him going on social media... him being able to just come talk to me."

Gase continued:

"We talked about a lot of stuff. We talked about some things that maybe we can do a little different. He understood how I was going to do some things in practice. He's a veteran player that's been around for a while.

"When I explained some things to him, he understood what I've been trying to do in practice. He knows we've been trying to thread the needle on quite a few things with reps, making sure we're doing a good job of getting guys in the right shape heading into Week 1."

Bell, 28, had a poor 2019 season, rushing for only 789 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games while catching 66 passes for 461 yards and another score. For a player who has rushed for more than 1,200 yards three times in his career, it was a down year. 

The Jets added to their depth at the position in the offseason, signing veteran Frank Gore and drafting La'Mical Perine in the fourth round. Gase told reporters he did a "poor job" managing Bell's reps early last season, "grinding him to the point where he couldn't have felt great in the back half of the season."

Managing those reps better this year appears to be a priority in New York. 

Mekhi Becton hasn't played a snap in the NFL yet, but he is already spending big on jewelry.

The New York Jets rookie has a chain that reads "Big Ticket," a fitting nickname for the 6'7", 364-pound offensive tackle.

According to TMZ Sports, the chain from Jason of Beverly Hills is valued at about $400,000, featuring 120 carats of white diamonds and more than a kilogram of gold.

Becton was the No. 11 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, earning a fully guaranteed $18.45 million contract. That's plenty of money to get some luxury items before beginning his NFL career.

New York Jets running back Le'Veon Bell disputed a report that he's dealing with a minor hamstring injury and lamented his lack of work in Friday's practice.

"Ain't nothin' wrong with my hamstrings," Bell wrote on Twitter in response to a message stating his snaps were limited because of hamstring tightness.

He then expanded on his thoughts:

Bell is coming off a disappointing first season with the Jets. He recorded 789 yards on 245 attempts (a paltry 3.2 YPC) and scored just four total touchdowns in 15 appearances.

The drop off in production came after he sat out the entire 2018 season amid a contract dispute with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He joined New York on a four-year, $52.5 million deal in last year's free agency.

In July, Jets head coach Adam Gase told reporters he expected a bounce-back year from the star rusher.

"We spent a lot of time this offseason studying and making sure we find ways to get him the ball whether it be in the passing game or the run game," he said. "It's one of those training camps where when you got a guy like that, has done what he's done, and he's looking to prove to people he's at the top of his game, I'm excited to see that."

Yet the Jets still signed veteran Frank Gore and selected La'Mical Perine in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft to provide backfield depth after Bell's struggles last year.

So it remains unclear how many touches the three-time Pro Bowl selection will get on a weekly basis once the regular season gets underway, but the fact he's already speaking out about a lack of work during a training camp practice doesn't provide a promising sign.

New York is set to kick off the campaign Sept. 13 with a road game against the AFC East rival Buffalo Bills.  

The New York Jets have reportedly signed veteran receiver Chris Hogan, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Hogan has spent eight years in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers. Last year was his lone season in Carolina, where he finished with eight catches for 67 yards in seven appearances.

He spent much of the year on injured reserve with a knee issue but appeared in the team's final three games of the season, starting in Week 17 while seeing a season-high four targets.

The 32-year-old is best known for his time with the Patriots, helping the team reach the Super Bowl three straight years and winning twice. He totaled six receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown in the Super Bowl LII loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The 2016 campaign was his best regular-season showing when he finished with 680 receiving yards on a league-best 17.9 yards per catch to go along with four touchdowns.

Now he returns to the AFC East with a Jets receiving core that has limited talent.

Jamison Crowder, Josh Doctson and Breshad Perriman are the most veteran players on the unit, while rookie second-round pick Denzel Mims should also play a significant role. It leaves plenty of opportunities for Hogan to earn playing time once he gets acclimated to the new offense.

After the Jets finished dead last in the NFL in total yards and 29th in passing yards, any proven addition could be useful.

New York Jets head coach Adam Gase said Friday he's unsure how long rookie wide receiver Denzel Mims will be sidelined after suffering a hamstring injury when he took a "really weird step" during drills. 

"At that spot it's all about the chemistry you have with the QB ... and we're missing time," Gase told reporters.

Running back Frank Gore, cornerback Pierre Desir and defensive end Bronson Kaufusi also missed the team's practice Friday with hamstring injuries, while linebacker Jabari Zuniga was out with a quad injury, per Spencer Aber of JetsWire.

The Jets picked Mims in the second round of April's 2020 NFL draft. He was the 13th receiver selected, and general manager Joe Douglas said it was clear that provided motivation for the Baylor product.

"Usually when you call these guys, they're excited, there's a lot of emotion," Douglas told reporters. "Denzel had a real chip on his shoulder. It was important to him that he was going to make these teams pay that passed him up. We can't wait to get that type of competitor, that type of mentality in the building."

Meanwhile, the 22-year-old Texas native expressed his excitement to work with third-year signal-caller Sam Darnold.

"We have Sam Darnold and that's a great quarterback," Mims said. "I can't wait to get to work with him and make a lot of things happen with him. I had time to watch him and to actually be playing with him, on the same team as him and same offense, it's unbelievable."

Mims is coming off a strong senior season with the Bears. He recorded 66 catches for 1,020 yards and 12 touchdowns across 13 appearances. It marked the second time he topped the 1,000-yard mark in college, also doing so as a sophomore in 2017.

He was slated to make an immediate impact as a starter opposite Breshad Perriman in traditional sets with Jamison Crowder, the team's leading receiver last year, also getting plenty of snaps from the slot.

The hamstring injury paired with the lack of on-field offseason team activities and the cancellation of the preseason because of the coronavirus pandemic could slow his rise up the depth chart, though.

New York Jets outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins said Thursday it's time for the team to turn a corner after nine straight years without a playoff berth. 

"When I came here, the Jets didn't have really a winning history," Jenkins, a 2016 third-round pick, told reporters. "It really sucks that in the last four years we couldn't get it done. ... But me being back here, four years going on five years... I'm tired of f--king losing. So now just got [to] wrap s--t up and try [to] get the ball rolling."

The 26-year-old University of Georgia product re-signed with the Jets on a one-year, $3.75 million contract in April.

Jenkins recorded 32 total tackles, a career-high eight sacks, three passes defended and two forced fumbles in 14 appearances last year. He's tallied 20.5 sacks in 60 games across four NFL seasons.

Although he's enjoyed some individual success, he's hopeful to see it translate to more wins in 2020 as New York aims to end that extended postseason drought.

"It depends on what we do as players and coaches," Jenkins said Thursday. "Hopefully, we're pretty f--king close. It's ultimately up to us to go out there and do it. All the talking is done. It's just, 'Let's go out and do it.' If you can't do it, you're gone. Step up."

The AFC East is wide open following Tom Brady's departure from the New England Patriots after two decades of dominance in the division.

Although the Jets are a threat should quarterback Sam Darnold take a step forward in his third NFL season, they aren't the oddsmakers' choice. The Buffalo Bills (+100; bet $100 to win $100) are the division favorite followed by the Pats (+135), Miami Dolphins (+850) and Jets (+900), per Caesars Palace.

New York can make an immediate statement Sept. 13 when it opens the regular season at the Bills.

Jenkins, who recorded a sack in both games against Buffalo in 2019, will have an opportunity to make a major impact off the edge in that contest.

New York Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams doesn't think Jamal Adams is going to have as much fun playing for the Seattle Seahawks as he did for him.  

Speaking to reporters for the first time since Adams was traded, Williams explained why the All-Pro safety "may get bored" in Seattle's defense "because they don't use their safety-type things, all the different complexities of maybe not showing what they're doing as much as we do."

Amid a contract dispute with the Jets throughout the offseason, Adams was dealt to the Seahawks on July 25 in exchange for Bradley McDougald, a first-round pick and third-round pick in 2021, and a 2022 first-round pick. 

The Seahawks also received a 2022 fourth-round draft pick in the trade. 

Time will tell how the Seahawks use Adams, but it sounds like their initial impressions during training camp have been positive. 

"He's really sharp,” head coach Pete Carroll told reporters after Wednesday's practice. "He's really competitive, in that he cares. He wants to know all the details. He wants to be corrected. He wants to be helped, taught, coached and all that.

Adams has developed into one of the NFL's best defensive backs during his three seasons in New York. The 24-year-old was named to the All-Pro first team in 2019 after recording 75 combined tackles, 13 quarterback hits, seven pass breakups and 6.5 sacks.

The Seahawks will be hoping Adams can get them to the next level in 2020 after losing to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Round last season. 

The Jets are banking on McDougald, who has appeared in 98 games over the past seven seasons, to replace Adams' production. 

Le'Veon Bell wasn't happy with the way Jamal Adams left the New York Jets after helping convince him to join the team in the first place, as he explained in Wednesday's press conference:

"He was a big piece of why I came here," Bell said (h/t Ralph Vacchiano of SNY). "... It kind of looked like he forced his way out, but when I talked to him he told he wasn't going to try to force his way out."

Adams had requested a trade from New York and even criticized head coach Adam Gase before he was eventually traded to the Seattle Seahawks.

"I'm not upset with Jamal. I want the best for Jamal," Bell said Wednesday. "... But sometimes you don't like the way people handle things."

Bell showed his disappointment after Adams was dealt:

The veteran running back joined the Jets last offseason on a four-year, $52.5 million deal but struggled mightily with just 789 rushing yards and three touchdowns in 15 games. His 3.2 yards per carry and 52.6 rushing yards per game were both career lows.

He is now looking for a bounce-back year alongside a team that finished 7-9 last season and just lost its top defensive player in Adams.

New York Jets head coach Adam Gase said Wednesday the team wants to increase its offensive pace in 2020 while also working to better utilize running back Le'Veon Bell.   

Gase told reporters the Jets' goal is running between 65 and 70 plays per game, which would likely rank inside the NFL's top 10. They averaged 59.8 plays last year to finish 28th, per TeamRankings.

The team's second-year coach added he did a "bad job" putting Bell in a position to succeed in 2019 and wants to focus on "getting the ball in his hands and letting him go do different things" this year.

Although comments made during training camp, when players are rested and healthy and coaches are planning on a 16-0 campaign, must be taken with a grain of salt, Gase's admission of mistakes in his handling of the offense last season is a positive sign.

In fantasy football circles, it provides a glimmer of hope that Bell may regain the high-end value he possessed during his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Bell, who sat out the entire 2018 campaign amid a contract dispute with the Steelers, recorded 1,250 yards from scrimmage—the lowest full-season total of his career—and just four total touchdowns across 15 appearances in his first year with the Jets.

In July, the 28-year-old Michigan State product promised a huge bounce-back season:

Bell backed that up again Wednesday, telling reporters he's "ready to show this is the best Le'Veon Bell that's ever played in the NFL."

If you exclude his injury-shortened 2015 season, Bell averaged 1,826 yards from scrimmage and 9.75 touchdowns in his other four seasons in Pittsburgh. Those are No. 1 running back numbers in any fantasy format, and he carried extra value in PPR leagues by averaging 72 catches in those years.

Bell's current average draft position is 46.9, which puts him on the borderline between the fourth and fifth rounds in 12-team leagues, per Yahoo Sports.

He'll far exceed that value if he stays healthy and Gase's vision for the Jets' offense comes to fruition. His wide-ranging skill set still gives him top-10 overall potential in a perfect world.

That said, Gase's comments are not enough evidence, especially without preseason games to help back them up, to suggest going all-in on Bell as a fantasy team's cornerstone is a good idea.

Taking him in the third round, a little earlier than his ADP, and betting on him to rebound may prove a worthwhile investment based on Gase's remarks, though.

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson has denied making discriminatory comments alleged in a new report released by the U.S. State Department on Wednesday. 

Per the report, obtained by ESPN's Rich Cimini, Johnson is said to have ""sometimes made inappropriate or insensitive comments on topics generally considered Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)-sensitive, such as religion, sex, or color" and "could potentially rise to a violation of EEO laws. Based on the information that OIG learned during the inspection ... a more thorough review by the dept is warranted."

Johnson's response to the allegations was included in the report, per Cimini:

CNN's Jennifer Hansler, Kylie Atwood and Nicole Gaouette reported July 22 that the State Department was investigating Johnson amid allegations he "made racist and sexist comments to staff and sought to use his government position to benefit the president's personal business in the UK."

One source told CNN that Johnson made comments about the appearances of women that were "cringeworthy," while a diplomat with knowledge of the complaints made to the inspector general said the Jets owner has "said some pretty sexist, racist" things.

Johnson denied CNN's report on Twitter:    

Johnson was nominated by President Donald Trump to be the United States ambassador to the United Kingdom in June 2017. He was confirmed by the United States senate and sworn in two months later. 

Woody and his brother Christopher have been co-owners of the Jets since 2000.