Revis the Jet: Plans to be part of the WH visit

[dcmissle]

So why did he even sign here for 2014?  He took what will amount to a $12M salary in 2014.  Are we really supposed to believe that this was the peak market value he had at the time?  a 25% discount to his 2013 and 2015 earnings?

You think he was signing last year for what he signed today, coming out of Tampa where they did not use him right and then closer to injury?

I don't. He bet on himself in the right place and won big, on the field and at the bank.

Edit. Good post in the Jets thread BTW.

 

[Stitch01]

So um does this mean we get a draft pick from Woody's blatant tampering?

Maybe a 7th rounder or something like that. Jets know the tampering rules have no teeth and, while its a clear violation, it's not a hanging offense that deserves material compensation.

 

[luckiestman]

Great great news. The Rex freak show being over keeps getting better.

 

[E5 Yaz]

Great great news. The Rex freak show being over keeps getting better.

 
What?

 

[Section30]

Interesting and humorous reading over at TGG. 
 
Lots of happy fans who still feel compelled to find something negative in the GM moves.
 
My favorite one liner from a poster with over a thousand posts, "Geno Smith throws welcome home party for Darrelle Revis, gets intercepted"
 
If Chip offers Bradford+picks for Mariota will the Jets take it?

 

[jtn46]

I'm bummed, but really thought it was unlikely they would keep Revis unless he was willing to leave quite a bit of money on the table. The Patriots are not known to have "highest paid player at his position" types, and frankly getting Revis at all was really a shock for this reason.
 
Maybe this was all a plan of his, help the Pats win the SB and cash in, or maybe he has always wanted to be highly paid but wanted to take 1 real shot at a ring and did it and maybe in 4 or 5 years he'll think "ok I really miss winning now" and will consider that he could have a better legacy had he won more than just the 1 ring.
 
I don't have any ill will and appreciate that he helped us win it all. Now he's on the Jets so I'm rooting against him. I hope he plays well on a last place team.

 

[DourDoerr]

I'm bummed, but really thought it was unlikely they would keep Revis unless he was willing to leave quite a bit of money on the table. The Patriots are not known to have "highest paid player at his position" types, and frankly getting Revis at all was really a shock for this reason.
 
Maybe this was all a plan of his, help the Pats win the SB and cash in, or maybe he has always wanted to be highly paid but wanted to take 1 real shot at a ring and did it and maybe in 4 or 5 years he'll think "ok I really miss winning now" and will consider that he could have a better legacy had he won more than just the 1 ring.
 
I don't have any ill will and appreciate that he helped us win it all. Now he's on the Jets so I'm rooting against him. I hope he plays well on a last place team.

I'll agree with this.  It was a privilege to watch him run a WR's route step for step.  Amazing agility.  Hopefully, his work ethic and technique rubbed off some on our youngish corners.  Silver lining is the amount of cap space now.  Fill some of the holes and maybe even lock up a core player.
 

 

[HomeBrew1901]

Ho hum, another off-season, and another big name player leaving the Pats.  Let the handwringing and all the pundits talk about how BB isn't a great GM, has lost his fastball, the team has holes, this could signal the end, bullshit begin. 
 
Meanwhile, see you all next year in the AFC Championship, for the 10th time in 14 years.  If they get to and win the Super Bowl again, even better.
 
I can't even get excited or interested about the offseason anymore.  For all we know, Revis could have blown out his knee in the first game of the season, and we would have eaten the 30+ million in guaranteed money it would have cost to sign him.  Could happen in New York too.  This league is so damn hard to figure out, but the one thing I know is that come opening day, the Patriots will field a team capable of and probably favored to win the Super Bowl, barring some catastrophic injuries or murder indictments or suspensions between now and then.  It's just not worth getting worried about anything until the games start.

Call me spoiled or whatever but this. Boston has had the greatest run in the history of sports since 2001 and the off season does not interest me in the least.

Would it have been nice for the Patriots to sign Revis and Browner and compete for another Super Bowl? Yup... Will I be devastated if they don't? Not even remotely.

Good for Revis, he got his money AND got to go back to the organization that drafted him and if you're pissed off then enjoy your sour grapes.

Let's not forget that even with this super duper secondary the Patriots were about to lose the Super Bowl if not for Pete Carroll.

 

[SeoulSoxFan]

Per Miguel:
 

@patscap If Pats matched the Jets' pay as you go structure, his 2015 cap no w/Pats would have been $21m ($16m salary + 5m signing bonus proration).

 
Holy jeebebubs that is 14.66% of the entire cap (or one-seventh, which is 14.3%). As much as we'd all like to have kept Revis, that's a number that's difficult to swallow.
 
More from Miguel ($13.6m is the current Pats cap space after Chris White signing):
 

@patscap $13,611,603 is less than Revis' $16m salary with the Jets.

 

[Van Everyman]

Such are the restrictions when you, you know, field a competitive team.

 

[Ferm Sheller]

Such are the restrictions when you, you know, field a competitive team.

And have a QB that gives you a bona fide chance to contend.

 

[Van Everyman]

Points I don't expect the likes of Mazz to be making this week.

 

[jsinger121]

Definitely couldn't stretch for Revis after knowing those numbers on the cap.

 

[Byrdbrain]

 
Per Miguel:
 
 
 
Holy jeebebubs that is 14.66% of the entire cap (or one-seventh, which is 14.3%). As much as we'd all like to have kept Revis, that's a number that's difficult to swallow.
 
More from Miguel ($13.6m is the current Pats cap space after Chris White signing):
 

 

 

This can't be correct, I've been told(repeatedly) that the cap is crap.
My world is now upside down.

 

[j44thor]

I think you probably didn't mean to have the "not" in there, but generally, I think the people do not forget that they went 4-12 with a -118 point differential and the fifth fewest points per game.
 
But, hey, maybe it makes more sense to just think about those two games. 

 
Yes thank you for the grammatical correction that was my mistake.  
 
As for their record is their entire 2014 more predictive for 2015 or their 3-4 finish where each loss except for one blowout was decided by 6pts or less?  They were a terrible team in Sept-Oct and much better in Nov on.  Perhaps it is meaningless and they will continue to be the LOL Jets. I think there is a decent chance that after adding a #1 WR in Marshall and shoring up their biggest defensive weakness that this is a team that could surprise some people next year.  If Geno improves going into his year three season, which is obviously impossible since he is a Jet, they could finish anywhere from 7-9 to 9-7 and generally be a pain in the ass.  I don't expect them to challenge for the AFC East but I do think a WC berth isn't out of the question given the overall state of the AFC.

 

[DennyDoyle'sBoil]

it would have been theoretically possible to sign him I think but just not at the same structure as the Jets. The Jets are being pretty responsible about it by using their cap room to take a significant hit this year. The Patriots would have had to defer the hit by borrowing future years' money. I think the easiest way to think about it is a true pay as you play contract requires $16 million per year of cap money in the next three years. If you figure the Patriots need at least a few million for rookies and other needs for 2015, they were probably looking at borrowing at least $6 million from future years caps without the ability to do much of anything else, maybe less depending on how Mayo shakes out. Equally undoable to me, but I suppose not impossible. Still way too rich.

I think there was a general thought that maybe more could be freed up by doing something with Solder, but apparently that wasn't in the cards. His whole salary became guaranteed yesterday. I guess the Patriots are fine having him on a 1 year deal for $7 million. Maybe there will still be extension talks. Maybe the Patriots were fine with it the way it is given there is some cocussion history.

 

[SeoulSoxFan]

As for their record is their entire 2014 more predictive for 2015 or their 3-4 finish where each loss except for one blowout was decided by 6pts or less? 

 
Not at all. In 2013 Jets went 3-1 in their last four, beating the Raiders, Browns, and the Dolphins (lost to the Panthers). More interestingly, Geno played very well: 

• 37-27 vs. Raiders: 16/25 for 219 yards and 1 TD/1 INT
• 24-14 vs. Browns: 20/36 for 214 yards and 2 TD/0 INT
• 20-7 at Dolphins: 17/27 for 190 yards and 0 TD/0 INT

The talk going into 2014 season was of a young QB who were eliminating mistakes, making steady, if not spectacular throws when needed. Then Geno turned back into Geno last year.

 

[ivanvamp]

Three things make Revis to the Jets easier for me to take.
 
1.  They had him for a year, and that year was one of the most satisfying seasons I can remember, culminating in a SB championship.  Thank you, Darrelle, for being a huge part of that.
 
2.  They did try to re-sign him.  They cut other players trying to create sufficient cap space to make it work.  They tried.  
 
3.  It seems pretty apparent that he was always going back to the Jets.  Which is fine.  Good for him.  That means that him staying in NE was a long long long shot at best.
 
The Jets will be a pain.  Excellent defense.  New weapon on offense in Marshall.  They won't win the division, but I don't think they'll suck.  But still, it's kind of nice being able to tell Jets fans that they just picked up a player with a Super Bowl ring…..that he won with New England.

 

[SeoulSoxFan]

 

[Toe Nash]

 
As for their record is their entire 2014 more predictive for 2015 or their 3-4 finish where each loss except for one blowout was decided by 6pts or less?  They were a terrible team in Sept-Oct and much better in Nov on.  Perhaps it is meaningless and they will continue to be the LOL Jets. I think there is a decent chance that after adding a #1 WR in Marshall and shoring up their biggest defensive weakness that this is a team that could surprise some people next year.  If Geno improves going into his year three season, which is obviously impossible since he is a Jet, they could finish anywhere from 7-9 to 9-7 and generally be a pain in the ass.  I don't expect them to challenge for the AFC East but I do think a WC berth isn't out of the question given the overall state of the AFC.

1. One of their wins was against equally pathetic Tennessee and the other was a meaningless game against the sinking Fins.
2. That 7 games that you choose were close really means little IMO. They were blown out plenty of times earlier. Plus, when you have a bad qb you tend to lose close games.
3. Geno is not improving. He's not starter quality. He's bad. If they add Fitzpatrick and Cro maybe they win 7 games, but they're very weak on OL too.

 

[Mystic Merlin]

Not the Daily News' best work.

 

[Van Everyman]

DDB, that's a super reasonable take – the way the Jets structured the deal simply made it harder to match. Probably not a coincidence. Your post plus the PatsCap take just goes to show how much more challenging for a team that's disciplined in its cap management and roster construction to play in these pricey FA waters even for a single year. Won't be spun that way by the media for sure, but it's actually a tribute to what BB has built in NE.

Edit: And a tribute to what a coup it was to get a guy like Revis for even a single year.

 

[Ferm Sheller]

The Daily News should have included a more recent picture of him, such as one with him holding the Lombardi.

 

[jsinger121]

There is no way the Patriots were borrowing future cap years to fit Revis in especially when they need extensions for Hightower, Collins and possibly Chandler Jones before even going into the future free agent market for players.

 

[ivanvamp]

Does this mean the Jets won ANOTHER off-season championship?  Geez, there's no stopping them.

 

[MuppetAsteriskTalk]

Maybe the Pats will let him parade the Lombardi through Times Square.

 

[Ed Hillel]

Per Miguel:
 
 
Holy jeebebubs that is 14.66% of the entire cap (or one-seventh, which is 14.3%). As much as we'd all like to have kept Revis, that's a number that's difficult to swallow.
 
More from Miguel ($13.6m is the current Pats cap space after Chris White signing):
 

While Miguel is right, I really don't think Revis would have cared if he got the money in the form of a signing bonus instead. Money is money. The only way I could see differently is if Revis was obsessed with getting the biggest base salary for whatever reason.

 

[j44thor]

Does this mean the Jets won ANOTHER off-season championship?  Geez, there's no stopping them.

 
Pretty sure NE won the off-season championship last year, that worked out OK.
Of course in a salary cap league it is probably tougher to win the off-season championship in back to back years than it is to win the real championship.

 

[ivanvamp]

 
Pretty sure NE won the off-season championship last year, that worked out OK.
Of course in a salary cap league it is probably tougher to win the off-season championship in back to back years than it is to win the real championship.

 
Hmmm…true.  Good point.  

 

[SeoulSoxFan]

 
Pretty sure NE won the off-season championship last year, that worked out OK.
Of course in a salary cap league it is probably tougher to win the off-season championship in back to back years than it is to win the real championship.

 
Not if you're the Dolphins. Got the most $$$ FA in 2013, 2nd most in 2014, and now by far the most $$$. 

 

[joe dokes]

Kraft will FedEx his super bowl ring. Don't expect him to present it when the Jets return to foxboro.

 
I don't think that's Kraft's style. (or if ever it was, it certainly isn't any more).
 
I think Belichick, Kraft AND Revis played the last 12 months perfectly for each. I think all 3 of them know it. And I dont see any of the 3 of them saying anything bad -- or doing anything petty and juvenile -- as a result of yesterday. 

 

[RedOctober3829]

If we are talking offseason title winner from last year, isn't it 100% Denver? Talib, Ware, Ward.

 

[jsinger121]

 
I don't think that's Kraft's style. (or if ever it was, it certainly isn't any more).
 
I think Belichick, Kraft AND Revis played the last 12 months perfectly for each. I think all 3 of them know it. And I dont see any of the 3 of them saying anything bad -- or doing anything petty and juvenile -- as a result of yesterday. 

 
It may not be his style but he ain't going to be at the ring ceremony and I be stunned if they present him the ring on the field at Gillette Stadium. More likely they give it to him in the backroom on the Sunday of the game where no one sees.

 

[tims4wins]

If we are talking offseason title winner from last year, isn't it 100% Denver? Talib, Ware, Ward.

 
And Sanders

 

[ivanvamp]

I do wonder what it is that makes these guys happy.  I mean, in no way can I fault Revis for taking more money.  And, moreover, it's entirely possible he loves the Jets and always wanted to go back there.
 
But if the Jets continue to suck, and the Patriots continue to win - both distinct possibilities - I wonder if he'll ever sit at his dysfunctional Jet locker room, staring at another 6-10 or 7-9 season, watching the Patriots celebrate yet another AFC East championship and battle for another Super Bowl, and ask himself why he chose this.  Money is important, but in real, every day terms, the difference between owning $35 million and $39 million isn't tangible.  That $4 million difference probably will sit in a bank account or investment vehicle and he'll probably never actually see it (it'll go to his grandkids eventually).  
 
So I wonder if he'll ever regret taking extra, surplus, money to play for a losing franchise when he could instead be consistently competing for Lombardis.  

 

[jsinger121]

I do wonder what it is that makes these guys happy.  I mean, in no way can I fault Revis for taking more money.  And, moreover, it's entirely possible he loves the Jets and always wanted to go back there.
 
But if the Jets continue to suck, and the Patriots continue to win - both distinct possibilities - I wonder if he'll ever sit at his dysfunctional Jet locker room, staring at another 6-10 or 7-9 season, watching the Patriots celebrate yet another AFC East championship and battle for another Super Bowl, and ask himself why he chose this.  Money is important, but in real, every day terms, the difference between owning $35 million and $39 million isn't tangible.  That $4 million difference probably will sit in a bank account or investment vehicle and he'll probably never actually see it (it'll go to his grandkids eventually).  
 
So I wonder if he'll ever regret taking extra, surplus, money to play for a losing franchise when he could instead be consistently competing for Lombardis.  

 
He comes from the Sean Gilbert school of doing business so probably no. 

 

[loshjott]

For these all-time elite, hyper competitive athletes, I'm guessing some of it is convincing themselves that they can put a team over the top. It may be folly to think that any one DB could bring the 2015 Jets a SB victory, but I'll bet that's part of it.
 
You stay in NE and add another notch to the Brady/BB/Kraft dynasty.  You're almost an afterthought, legacy wise. You go to NYJ and win, and you're an out of this world hero.  For more money.

 

[ivanvamp]

For these all-time elite, hyper competitive athletes, I'm guessing some of it is convincing themselves that they can put a team over the top. It may be folly to think that any one DB could bring the 2015 Jets a SB victory, but I'll bet that's part of it.
 
You stay in NE and add another notch to the Brady/BB/Kraft dynasty.  You're almost an afterthought, legacy wise. You go to NYJ and win, and you're an out of this world hero.  For more money.

 
Right.  And then you see your contract prevent the team from getting a good QB and you watch Geno Smith kill you game after game.  While Tom Brady keeps on winning.  And you think….damn, I gave up Brady for Geno.

 

[j44thor]

If we are talking offseason title winner from last year, isn't it 100% Denver? Talib, Ware, Ward.

Denver is definitely in the discussion but Revis was the #1 prize IMO and Browner was a very nice piece as well, you can certainly argue Denver though.

 

[TheMoralBully]

I bet what makes him happy is being paid like the best cornerback in the league and getting a huge guarantee at 30 years old and probably on the wrong side of his peak.  It probably was the guarantee, more than anything.  Also, he just won a ring and even if the Patriot's are your best chance at another, they just went nine seasons inbetween winning one.  He could also have an ego that's telling him he's the guy who will turn the Jets around and bring them back to the playoffs, who knows.
 
Whenever the Patriot's rightly cut a guy, like Wilfork, we hear "it's a business".  It's a business from the player's perspective too, and Revis just did pretty well for himself.

 

[TheoShmeo]

For these all-time elite, hyper competitive athletes, I'm guessing some of it is convincing themselves that they can put a team over the top. It may be folly to think that any one DB could bring the 2015 Jets a SB victory, but I'll bet that's part of it.
 
You stay in NE and add another notch to the Brady/BB/Kraft dynasty.  You're almost an afterthought, legacy wise. You go to NYJ and win, and you're an out of this world hero.  For more money.

Then again, you could say to yourself that champion super stars are always identified as critical to their team's success and that it was well known that the Pats had gone 10 years since their last SB until Revis arrived.
 
The same kind of ego you are ascribing to Revis regarding NY could apply to that line of thinking too.
 
And I think it's widely accepted that Revis was one of the absolute keys to the Pats' success in the 2014-15 season.  Sure, Tom will always get top billing in NE, but the football world knows that Revis changed the way the Pats played defense and was by far the most important guy on that side of the ball.  In short, I doubt Revis' ego would let him view himself as an afterthought to the Pats' success.  

 

[P'tucket rhymes with...]

 
Right.  And then you see your contract prevent the team from getting a good QB and you watch Geno Smith kill you game after game.  While Tom Brady keeps on winning.  And you think….damn, I gave up Brady for Geno.  if I don't hurry, I'm going to be late for my reservations at Le Bernardin.

Revis is a pretty smart guy.  I'll wager he's played out all of these scenarios in his head.
 
He's just not that into us, guys.

 

[Reverend]

Denver is definitely in the discussion but Revis was the #1 prize IMO and Browner was a very nice piece as well, you can certainly argue Denver though.

Edelman, of course, is the dark horse in this conversation.

 

[Toe Nash]

 
 
So I wonder if he'll ever regret taking extra, surplus, money to play for a losing franchise when he could instead be consistently competing for Lombardis.  

Eh.
1. We don't know what motivates Revis. He certainly has more history in NY, and probably has more friends there. There's certainly more going on than Boston and especially Foxboro. There could be a lot of personal reasons.
2. The difference in guarantee could have been more than $4m.
3. Re: winning, first he got his ring, and second, teams' fortunes can change a lot in a few years. It's a good bet that the Pats will be better so long as Brady is there, but the Jets could be a playoff team in the near future and once you're in, who knows. And Brady's old.

 

[Leather]

 
He comes from the Sean Gilbert school of doing business so probably no. 

 
Who the hell knows, right? 
 
At this point in his career, he has now seen just about everything:  playing for a bad team, playing for a good team that wasn't good enough, getting traded, getting injured, playing for a SB winner, going back to his first team.  
 
In addition to the money, it could be he just wants to ride out the last few years of his career in a place where he knows he probably won't have to deal with too much pressure.  Maybe the fact that the Jets ceiling is "make the playoffs" over the next 2 seasons is actually appealing, as is being a home town hero before he retires.  I'm not questioning his competitiveness, but he has nothing left to prove.   If he gets to mold a clubhouse and be a team leader in a young team, for huge money, and have fans simply be happy to have him there, and winning a playoff game is simply whip cream on top? fuck it, why not?   Maybe that's preferable, at this point in his career, to playing third banana to Belichick and Brady.  
 
Maybe he also wants to coach after he retires from playing, and making inroads with the Jets is something he's interested in.  Who knows?

 

[mwonow]

Late to the party, but - man, this sucks. Jets are better now, but not really good enough to contend for anything more than 'we can play a couple of meaningful late season games'. Meanwhile, the Pats are worse. The QBs without Revis aren't a good group by contender standards today, and neither a spare part from the FA pool nor a draft pick will really change this.
 
Lose/Lose/Win. Pats lose on the field. Jets lose, because Jets. Revis, of course, wins...and since he was the guy making the decision, I suppose that means that the incentives aligned perfectly with the outcome.

 

[joe dokes]

 
It may not be his style but he ain't going to be at the ring ceremony and I be stunned if they present him the ring on the field at Gillette Stadium. More likely they give it to him in the backroom on the Sunday of the game where no one sees.

 
I just can't fathom this type of supposition.
 
What, in Kraft's actions over the last 10 years, makes you think that he wouldn't recognize an important player on an SB team in a public way?  I dont know if they've done these things in the past "on the field" in some sort of "ceremony".... it might be hard to do that  with an active player, who may be warming up or has a game to play. But however its done, it will be photographed and publicized. Anything else makes Kraft seem petty and stupid--two things the he isn't and doesn't want to apear to be.
 
If there is a team-wide ring ceremony before the seasons starts, Kraft will do what he has done in the past -- whatever that is.  If no-longer-Patriots have been invited, then Revis will be invited.
 
Hell, a pretty large share of the fans dont begrudge Revis's decision; why would Kraft?
 
Do you also think Wilfork has replaced his weekly kiss-on-the cheek with a Kraft-faced dartboard?

 

[jodyreeddudley78]

Is there any confirmation on what the Patriots were offering? A lot of the assumptions here are based on the idea that the Patriots had a similar offer. It is very possible that they weren't in the same ballpark. Based on their cap space and history, I would think that they weren't all that close, either in guaranteed money or in total contract value. Either way, I can't fault an athlete for taking the max value.

 

[Leather]

Not to mention, if Kraft wants to zing the Jets (which he probably does), making Revis walk out and hugging him and giving him a ring on national TV while Revis' Jets teammates stand around and shuffle their feet is a great moment.

 

[Yossarian]

I can't fault Revis for taking the money for one simple reason -- if he wasn't all about the money (or pretty close to it), we never would have gotten him in the first place.
 
I mean, apparently he loved New York and loved Rex.  The only reason he ever left at all was because he played hardball in contract negotiations -- and, just as he's doing now, was willing to go to a crappy team (the Bucs) that paid him what he wanted at the expense of any residual loyalty or desire to win big. And when he got too rich for Tampa Bay's blood, he came to the Pats in what was at least partly a desire to re-establish his market value.
 
The bad thing about mercenaries is that they can leave you.  The nice thing about them is that you can hire them if you're willing to pay up.  The Pats experienced both ends of that in one year.  So it goes.