Beat writers were tweeting all morning about the whereabouts of CB Darrelle Revis, who was absent from Thursday's OTA in Florham Park. After some investigation, sources confirmed that the Pro Bowl corner was apparently insulted by the team's contract offer and decided to skip the day's optional workout. He was reportedly at the training facility on Wednesday, and teammates are downplaying his absence. It's only June, and everyone seems to think the two sides will work something out before the start of the season. From AP's Dennis Waszak Jr.:
Revis was not on the field with the rest of the team during the voluntary session, the first time this offseason he missed a practice. Revis wants to be the highest-paid player at his position, but was initially scheduled to make just $1 million in the fourth season of his six-year rookie deal.
"I love him. He’s a great guy," coach Rex Ryan said. "The fact that he wasn’t out there today, this is voluntary camp. So you’d have to ask him the reason why he wasn’t here."
Agent Neil Schwartz declined comment to The Associated Press.
"We remain committed to trying to get something done within reason that’s good for Darrelle and good for the team," general manager Mike Tannenbaum said. "Hopefully he’ll be here not only for the short-term, but the long-term."
Ryan added that he hadn’t spoken to Revis, and was uncertain whether the star cornerback would sit out additional practices. The Jets have organized team activities next week, and their three-day mandatory minicamp begins June 14.
I certainly didn't like this news, but I was relieved that he was absent by choice and not due to injury. The NFL is a business, and this is the side of football I don't like. I hope they'll be able to work this out.