In March, the Jets signed Le'Veon Bell to a four-year, $52.5 million deal with $27 million guaranteed. More than two months later and the running back still hasn't shown up for voluntary workouts. In reality, this isn't a big deal -- it is voluntary, after all -- but the perception is something else entirely. Bell sat out the 2018 season in a contract dispute with the Steelers and the expectation is that he would be eager to close that chapter of his NFL career.

It's why Jets defensive tackle Steve McLendon, who also played with Bell in Pittsburgh, encouraged the running back to show up.

"I talked to him and I told him, 'You understand this place is different than Pittsburgh,'" McLendon said this week, via NorthJersey.com. "I said, 'You need to get back so you can understand the quarterback and the situation.' … I told him, 'The media is gonna get you if you don't come back.' That's the truth. I did tell him that."

Bell remains a no-show, a fact that doesn't seem to concern first-year coach Adam Gase.

"It's voluntary," Gase said recently of the workouts. "Everybody can get upset about it. There's no point. We know where he is. He's working out. He's always been ready. Every year that he's played, he's been ready to go. So, that's just what it is. If somebody doesn't like it, then talk to the NFLPA.

"... We had a conversation about what was kind of his schedule," the coach continued. "We'll kind of see how the OTAs go. As of right now, I know the mandatory stuff ... he said he was going to be here for that. So, I don't expect him to not show up for (minicamp on June 4-6)."

But McLendon makes a case for why Bell should show his face.

"I know there's been a lot of people saying, 'Why is he not here? Because he was paid,'" McLendon said. "Listen, man, he's not an All-Pro, Pro Bowl running back for no reason. Sometimes people prepare differently. Would we love him here? Yes. But when he comes here and he's rocking and rolling and helping us get to where we want to go this season, ain't nobody going to be thinking about it. And I know I'm not."

And while there's no doubt that Bell will be in shape and ready to go when he does arrive, there's another reason to take part in the voluntary workouts.

"You just want to get to know your teammates, especially when we have a young quarterback," McLendon said. "He needs to know your rhythm, he needs to know how patient you are. It's easy to see on the film but it's so hard to prepare with because [Bell] is very dynamic in the things that he can do. Out of the backfield, in the backfield, lining up at wide receiver, he can do a lot of special things, and for me it's very amazing to have him on our team." 

Amazing, indeed. And just in case you missed it, Gase has no plans to trade Bell, which was a talking point last week.

"That's ridiculous," he told reporters. "That's the first time I've heard that. ... We signed [Bell]. I'm excited we have him. I've been in constant communication with him. Discussions happen. To me, when you're going through free agency -- we signed a lot of guys -- you're trying to put together a big puzzle. You're trying to figure out money, fit, locker room, all those things. There's a lot of things go into all that stuff.

"Discussions are had and whether or not we disagreed on anything if it was financially, that's a completely different story than the person or the player," the coach said. "That's where a lot of this gets misconstrued. Le'Veon Bell is a great player. He's a good person. He's been in constant contact with me. I've enjoyed my interaction with him."