A lot of noise was made this past weekend when it was announced that the NY Jets were parting with their star-cornerback, Darrelle Revis. In truth, Revis is not just a star on the Jets, he is by far their best player and regarded as one of the top corners in the entire NFL. That is until he suffered an ACL tear against last October. However, given that ACL tears are no longer the death knell to professional athletes that they once were (unless of course you are Derrick Rose’s psyche), Revis could have very likely returned to the Jets at anywhere from 90-100% of the player he once was. It is for that reason, that the Jets decision to let Revis go, was a very curious move in the eyes of many.
I am not however one of those people.
As good as Revis is as a football player on the field, he is probably as bad as they come off it. It seems that every year Revis is either complaining or holding out (if not both) and this kind of chronic bad energy is good for the chemistry of no team, let alone the combustible New York Jets. Again, Revis might be as close a thing to a shut down corner as there is in today’s NFL, but a negative force in the locker room will always be a negative force on the field unless you have a solid coaching staff (the Jets do not), good veteran leadership (the Jets do not), and solid management in the front office (the Jets DEFINTIELY do not). However, even despite Revis’ issues there was a time when the Jets were willing to play ball with Revis and during the spend freely- ask questions era of Mike Tannenbaum, the Jets were so committed to Revis that they tore up his rookie contract and negotiated a lucrative deal with him even with they did not have too. How did Revis respond? Again with constant complaining and being a massive distraction on a team that does not need distractions. Therefore, for the Jets to let Revis walk was the right move from both a football standpoint and a fiscal standpoint (now that they are blowing up the team and starting from scratch under new GM John Idzik). The fact that the Jets got anything substantial for Revis with his bum knee and reputation is amazing (they got the 13th overall pick and a 4th round pick from Tampa Bay) and for the first time in a while, the Jets have caught a break.
The Tampa Buccaneers for a long time have been a complete non-factor in the NFL. In fact, the last time they were a team of consequence was a decade ago when John Gruden backed into a Superbowl by taking over Tony Dungy’s juggernaut defensive squad. Since that time, the Bucs have been not much more than a platform for the Saints and the Falcons in their NFL rise since 2006. However, fortunes for the Bucs seemed to have changed over the last couple of years with the landing of competent (but definitely not elite) QB Josh Freeman, and the implementation of an NFL cap floor which has forced them to shell out the dollars and sign some notable free agents (most notable among these signings were the likes of Vincent Jackson and Dashon Goldson). This Revis move however, might be the final piece in pushing the Bucs over the top and give them a shot at the division title. That is of course assuming that Revis’ ACL has healed and that a change of scenery does not implode his game like it has for so many free agents before him (the name Nmandi Asomugha certainly rings a bell). However, the Bucks have mitigated their risk in this deal not only by giving up draft picks in a weak draft, but with manner in which they have structured Revis contract. Although a 96 million/6 year deal might sound like a lot of money, there is no way either side will ever come close to living up to its terms given the lack of guarantees. If Revis plays well he will immediately go into Revis-mode and throw a stink until he gets his deal re-worked and guarantees are worked in (and thereby lowering the sticker price on the deal as a whole) and if he plays bad, the Bucs can cut Revis no questions asked at any point and pay him nothing more than for the games he’s played.
So who is the loser in all the you may ask? Well Indeed, the most puzzling thing about the manner in which this Revis melodrama played out is that the player who has made so much noise about getting fair compensation has worked himself into a position where he can be left with absolutely nothing in the end. 16 million sounds like a lot, but for a player coming of a torn ACL and having to quickly adjust to a new division packed with passers is no easy task even for the best of players (let alone a me-first corner). In Denver a much older Peyton Manning got a king’s ransom to sign, but his deal had guarantees worked in to keep him cover on the back end if his comeback did not pan out (and for the first couple of months it looked like it wouldn’t what with the noodle arm he had going on). Why a much younger Revis would not insist on guarantees if his knee never got back to where it was is baffling and if Revis were to get hurt again, he would be lucky if any team gave him pennies on the dollar to take him on after that. If you think the Bucs would not hesitate to cut him in split second if he suffered any sort of setback you are a complete fool, and as such, so is Revis for taking this deal.
Usually the squeaky wheel gets the grease, but in this case, Revis just squeaked himself out of it.
