The Jets have been busy, but one issue still looms large over what they hope will be a season to remember. That being the contractual situation of their #1 cornerback and best cornerback in the NFL Darrelle Revis.
Jason LaCanfora writes that a short term contract may well get the job done and get Revis into camp
Revis isn't dead set on matching the NFL's top cornerback contract -- the three-year, $45.3 million deal that Nnamdi Asomugha signed with the Oakland Raiders in 2009 -- under these circumstances, but he would seek to gain more financial security. Something in the range of a three-year, $30 million deal likely would do the job. A one-year stopgap, along the lines of the $1 million or so that the Tennessee Titans recently gave running back Chris Johnson, isn't something that Revis would entertain.
The Jets might not be willing to do a deal in the $30 million range, and perhaps the sides can strike a two-year pact or find some other common ground. And, after watching close friend and former teammate Leon Washington suffer a serious injury that greatly impacted his short-term earning potential, Revis is mulling all options
I know a lot of people want Revis signed up for 5-6 years but if that's not possible, the next best thing is to keep him happy, give him some security and get him in camp.
We have been expressing the need to find a middle ground and for both parties to be reasonable in their demands and a 3 year $30 million deal is more than reasonable. It offers Revis security now, and it allows the Jets to survey the landscape once the new CBA falls into place before extending that contract.
This seems like a middle ground that is win-win. The Jets get their prized possession in camp ready for the off, and Revis can continue to be the leader he spoke of during the Hard Knocks preview. Revis gets paid among the best this year with added security and the opportunity to prove that he is the best year after year, until he gets that new deal, or probably more accurate, an extension to this one.
If the camps are coming together on a deal like this, it seems clear heads have prevailed. The Jets knew that Revis couldn't and shouldn't be playing on a salary as low as his 2010 one. Revis understands the uncertainty of the financial landscape in the NFL and is willing to cooperate with the team, settling on a deal that's good for both.
If a deal like this does get done, both the team management and Revis walk away looking like the good guys.