Cutting Le'Veon Bell would be a HUGE mistake for the Jets ... so says his teammate Brandon Copeland, who tells TMZ Sports the RB is "the real deal!!!"
"He made a lot from nothing this past year," the NY linebacker says.
Bell has been in an awkward situation with his head coach, Adam Gase, ever since the ex-Steelers star inked a monster $52.5 MILLION deal to sign with NY this past off-season.
Gase was reportedly upset over paying an RB that much cash ... and at a press conference at the end of this season, Adam didn't exactly seem stoked about the idea of bringing Bell back in 2020.
All of it has led to trade rumors and even speculation that Bell could be cut this off-season ... but when we got Copeland out in NYC on Wednesday, he said that shouldn't be on the Jets' table at all.
"Everybody's going to talk," Copeland says. "But you keep one of the best running backs in the game right now. He's a good dude. He's working hard."
As for what Brandon's up to this offseason ... the 28-year-old tells us he's still teaching finance classes -- and he even offered up some great cash advice for future NFL rookies!