The New York Jets won the Darrelle Revis sweepstakes on Tuesday, agreeing to a five-year, $70 million contract with the All-Pro corner. It didn't take long, however, for some to question how much of a sweepstakes that actually was. New York was thought to have outbid the New England Patriots to bring Revis back in the fold. Except that may have been a one-sided affair.
Did the Jets bid against themselves to sign Darrelle Revis?
The Jets can never just have nice things, apparently.
Jason O. Watson-USA TODAY Sports
I heard from well-connected source who wasn't part of Revis-Pats talks that Pats dropped out ystrday, allowed NYJ to bid against themselves.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) March 11, 2015 It’s easy to laugh and mock the Jets, but the rumor may not add up and even if it does, it might not matter.
Free agency season is really all about spin. Teams spinning rumors in their favor. Agents spinning interest and rumored contract terms. Everything is a lie. The Patriots may have dropped out, but their presence wasn't necessary for a bidding war either. According to reports a number of other teams were interested in Revis. The Bills, Browns, Raiders, Chiefs, Packers and Steelers were all among the teams with reported interest. Even if New England dropped out, the Jets weren't going to be Revis' only option. He would have still had a very healthy market and received a lucrative contract. That wasn't dependent on the Patriots participating.
Now, there is a chance Revis had no interest in any of those other teams. He either wanted to land in New England or New York and used interest -- whether actual or artificial -- from New England to drive up his contract with the Jets. Maybe that caused the Jets to guarantee an extra million or two. Either way, Revis’ $16 million average per year during the first three years of the deal is the same as his previous deal with Tampa Bay.
The Jets landed one of the premier cornerbacks in the NFL and have plenty of salary cap space to spare. Maybe they overpaid while the Patriots sat back and watched. Maybe they didn’t. Either way the Jets got a lot better, so it’s hard to laugh at them too much.
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