Darrelle Revis
In his eight seasons in the National Football League, New England Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis has finally reached the promised land as he is now a Super Bowl Champion. Revis is a six-time Pro Bowl selection along with being named as the AFC’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2009. Revis had all of the personal accolades until he received the ultimate team accomplishment this season in being part of a championship team. For six seasons Revis made a name for himself as a shutdown cornerback with the New York Jets. This is where “Revis Island” was born as he shut down a who’s who of elite wide receivers in the NFL. In his time with the Jets, Revis recorded 19 interceptions which is tied for 12th place on the franchise’s all-time list. But when Revis and the Jets had their differences on his contract, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2012.
Revis went from being a isolation corner with the Jets to playing in the famed “Tampa 2” which was a disaster waiting to happen for him. But when the Bucs released Revis last March, he wasn’t out of work for long. Within hours of his release, Revis was signed by the Patriots. The Patriots signed Revis to a two-year deal worth $32 million with a $20 million option for 2015. Revis only had a pair of interceptions this past season, but his presence was known as teams shied away from throwing at him and he was a big part of the Patriots winning their first Super Bowl Championship in a decade. But now it is time for Revis and the Patriots to talk turkey.
Bill Belichick
Revis has a $25 million cap number for next season which includes a roster bonus of $12.5 million. And under head coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots have built a reputation as a team that doesn’t go overboard in paying one or two players which gives them flexibility along with the ability to be a consistent contender. Revis will be 30-years old this July and this could be his final opportunity to get a huge payday playing football. But Revis must now ask himself whether or not that he wants to win or get paid?
The Jets and the Buffalo Bills have expressed interest in attaining the services of Revis. After unceremoniously leaving New York in 2012, cooler heads have prevailed for Jets owner Woody Johnson as he wants the star cornerback to return to Gang Green. Revis was arguably one of the best players in the history of the Jets and Johnson wants to make things right with him. The Bills recently hired one of Revis’ former head coaches with the Jets in Rex Ryan and he would love to have the shutdown corner join him in Western New York.
But whereas the Jets are starting over with new head coach Todd Bowles and the Bills with Ryan, the Patriots are built to contend for a Super Bowl once again next season. Revis finally has a title under his belt, but now he must ask himself which is more important for him; money or legacy?
Under Belichick, the Patriots organization has been unique in that players may get paid by another NFL team once they leave Foxboro, but very rarely do they have the same overall team success on the field afterwards. In 2008, the Patriots traded defensive lineman Richard Seymour to the Oakland Raiders after he refused to restructure his contract. Seymour had 18.5 sacks in four seasons with the Raiders, but he never came close to playing on a contending team again after being a member of three Super Bowl Championship teams with the Patriots. Revis has gone from being the center of attention with the Jets to being a cog in the Patriots machine which will make his decision very tough. Belichick and the Patriots have developed a culture of winning which is tough for players to turn their backs on. Along with Belichick, Patriots owner Robert Kraft doesn’t generally allow players to leave Foxboro if he knows that they can keep the machine there going so these next few months will be interesting for all parties involved.
I’m sure that the Patriots will offer Revis an extension in which he is compensated handsomely, but they are not going to break the bank either. On several occasions, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has restructured his contract with the team in the effort to give Belichick and Kraft the flexibility to keep a contending team on the field. And if Brady can take less money to win, then Belichick and Kraft expect others behind him to follow suit. In the end Revis will do what is best for him and his family and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. But Revis’ decision will speak volumes as to whether he wants to get paid or win.
Source: Sportrac.com
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