The Eagles have signed Saints restricted free agent RB Mike Bell to a one year, $1.7 million offer sheet.
Bell signed the offer sheet Tuesday night. He appears to be headed for a #2 RB job in Philadelphia. In New Orleans, he would be facing stiff competition from youngster Lynell Hamilton to win the #3 RB job.
The contract includes $500,000 in guaranteed money and with performance incentives, could net Bell over $2 million. That's potentially double what the Saints were willing to pay Bell in 2010, his low restricted free agent tender of $1.176 million.
The Saints will almost certainly decline to match the offer in seven days, and Bell will be an Eagle and the primary backup to LeSean McCoy.
UPDATE: The offer sheet was officially signed and submitted on Wednesday, March 17. The Saints have until Wednesday, March 24 to respond to the offer.
I'm still unclear as to why the Saints weren't more taken with Mike Bell. Hamilton appears to be solid in the role of closer and short-yardage situations. However, Mike Bell, as shown early in the season, is capable of much more than that. Until he experienced the MCL problem, he was a very effective running back for the Saints. Can Lynell Hamilton adequately fill in if Pierre Thomas goes down?
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