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The Raiders made an offer to Le'Veon Bell, and at midday Tuesday, they thought they had a real shot to sign the Pro Bowl running back, Vic Tafur of TheAthletic.com reports.

“There was some real buzz in the building around noon on Tuesday,” Tafur wrote. “The Jets had given Bell a deadline, and there was a sense that if money wasn’t the most important thing Bell would rather play for the Raiders than the Jets.”

Signing with the Raiders would have reunited Bell and Antonio Brown, whom Oakland traded for earlier in the week.

The Jets, though, won the day with a better offer. Bell agreed to a four-year, $52.5 million deal with $35 million guaranteed and the possibility to go up as high as $61 million with incentives.

The Raiders still need a running back either in free agency or the draft. Marshawn Lynch and Doug Martin, who combined for 1,099 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, both are free agents.

Lynch has yet to publicly declare his intentions for 2019.