Read the opposing arguments from Babe Ruthless and Bleacher Fan.
As I stated in the intro, it seems as if this is a yearly battle with at least one marquee player or one rookie. This year, it’s Darrelle Revis’ time to be on the hot seat or put the Jets on the hot seat, depending on how you look at it. The only thing the two sides have really agreed on to this point is to keep all contract talks confidential.
No one is really questioning the fact that Darrelle Revis is underpaid. I know it. Revis knows it. Rex Ryan knows it. Woody Johnson knows it. He’s a guy who wants to be paid like the best, and as Babe Ruthless indicated, it’s hard to blame him for that. Though, I did throw my hands up in the air when I read over the weekend that he turned down a pretty lucrative contract. The bottom line is that Revis wants a big payday; much like Rod Tidwell did in Jerry Maguire. He wants someone – specifically Jets ownership – to “show him the money.”
There’s no question that the Jets are a much better team with Revis starting in the secondary. The Jets obviously are going for the championship, and they stand a much better chance of advancing with Revis in uniform, especially going up twice a year against the likes of Randy Moss and Brandon Marshall. That’s all well and good… but…
Does he really have any contractual leverage? The answer is no, and that’s why Bleacher Fan wins this debate.
It’d be one thing if Revis was entering the fourth year of a four year, $24M deal. He can fall back on the old “sign me or lose me” saying that Bleacher Fan mentioned. Maybe if Revis and his agents held out for a better deal in 2007 he wouldn’t be in this position of making just $1M this season.
What real benefit does Revis gain by holding out? Yes, he might hold his stance and eventually get his way. But at what cost? How long is he going to be out? Is he going to be in good football shape? If he misses any regular season games, will the Jets be too far behind the Patriots and Dolphins to make a run at the AFC East title? What if he’s really stubborn and sits out the entire season? He’ll still have plenty of cash to pay his satellite bill to watch the Jets on TV, but that’s not where he belongs and not where he wants to be. Sitting out any significant time also diminishes any potential legacy he likely wants to build. He should take a page out of Anquan Boldin’s book by coming to camp and letting the situation play out as it is. Boldin openly campaigned for a new deal. While he never got one Arizona, he eventually got one after a trade to Baltimore.
Injuries are certainly always a factor when considering contracts. But Revis is no different than the other players in the league in that regard. That’s why I didn’t necessarily buy into Babe’s argument. The bottom line is that Revis doesn’t have enough leverage. He’s played THREE seasons. He’s not a six or seven year veteran. In three years, Revis will be 28. Anyone want to guess how old Nnamdi Asomugha was when he signed his record deal last year? He was 27 when he signed the deal, but 28 when he took the field after signing the contract. Play out your contract, Darrelle. Your time will come.
Posted by Loyal Homer 
