(CBS Sports Radio) Now that the Oakland Raiders have traded for Antonio Brown, they could reportedly make a run at his former Pittsburgh Steelers teammate, star running back Le'Veon Bell, in free agency.
There will be plenty of suitors for Bell.
"I thought all along he would end up with the Jets," Houston Chronicle NFL writer John McClain said on "Taz & The Moose" on Monday. "They got the money. They can pay Le'Veon Bell anything they want. They need weapons around Sam Darnold -- not only up front but skill positions as well."
Still, McClain believes the Raiders will be "in the running" for Bell.
"They don't have as much money as the Jets do, and Bell wants to cash in," McClain said. "He wants to make up for that $14 million he missed last year by sitting out. You never know. The Raiders with three No. 1s, they may want to use one of those picks on Josh Jacobs, the running back from Alabama who's the only back projected to go in the first round. But I'm sure they will be in on the negotiations."
McClain said the Raiders deserve credit for acquiring an elite talent in Brown for so little (2019 third- and fifth-round picks). But if he brings his soap opera, it could get ugly -- and fast.
"It's pretty obvious the Raiders were the only team that would give Brown the money he wanted," McClain said. "I'm guessing Brown will be on his best behavior the first year because he's aware of what people have (said about him). I'm happy Brown got his money -- I always like to see players get their money -- but I also remember . . . the falling out that Gruden had with Keyshawn Johnson, and it got ugly in Tampa. Hopefully that doesn't happen with the Raiders."
The Steelers will enter the 2019 season without Brown and Bell for the first time since 2009 and 2012, respectively. While the Killer B's - Brown, Bell and Ben Roethlisberger - were incredibly successful in the regular season, they won just three playoff games and never reached the Super Bowl.
"That was a disappointing period," McClain said. "They should have been more productive in the playoffs, and they weren't. Overall, that era, while it was exciting and it was fun for Steelers fans, the Steelers have set a standard through the decades, and I think people will say they should have accomplished more."
