Over the weekend, seemingly every single player worth his salt agreed to a deal as the NFL’s legal tampering period got underway with a bang.
Among the biggest names, Ndamukong Suh has a deal in place with the Miami Dolphins, Byron Maxwell and Frank Gore are in position to join the Philadelphia Eagles, Devin McCourty is staying with the New England Patriots, Randall Cobb will return to the Green Bay Packers and Jeremy Maclin is going to the Kansas City Chiefs. All contract agreements become final at 4 p.m. Tuesday, when trades also become official. The league year will begin at that point and teams must be at the salary cap number of $143.8 million.
But there’s uncertainty surrounding one very big name. Just what will happen with Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis is another matter. If McCourty, who agreed to a deal reportedly worth $47.5 million (with $28.5 million in guarantees) has anything to say about it, Revis will be back in New England.
“I told him, I feel like, the same thing he would tell me … I want him back here, I want to play with him,” McCourty told CSNNE.com. “He’s a great teammate and the best corner in the game, but I also know it’s a business. I would never hit him up and try to pressure him into doing something. I told him I already gained a teammate for the rest of my NFL career anyway because we already train together. I’ll see him again in Arizona, and hopefully I’ll see him in July in training camp.”
Assuming that the Patriots decline to pick up a goat-gagging $20 million option on Revis’ contract, he’ll hit the open market at 4 p.m. Tuesday. The New York Jets have made no secret of their desire to bring Revis back, but Revis himself has said he’d like to stay with the Super Bowl champions. At the moment, that seems like the most likely scenario, but, as ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss writes, these are heavyweight negotiations.
When it comes to Darrelle Revis’ future with the Patriots, one thing that has stood out to me in recent days is that Revis is a shrewd businessman who is masterful at keeping his cards close to the vest so as not to concede leverage. That it could come down to the rival Patriots and Jets bidding against each other for Revis reflects his smarts. In turn, you have the Patriots, who are widely viewed as one of the NFL’s best-run franchises in part because they play the leverage game as well as anyone. In that sense, this is a heavyweight bout when it comes to matching negotiating wits and that’s why it was no surprise that Pro Football Talk reported late Friday that the sides had yet to discuss a contract extension
And if Revis leaves the Patriots? Ben Volin of the Boston Globes writes:
[T]here really is no Plan B if Revis moves on. The top free agent cornerbacks are Byron Maxwell [who is headed to Philadelphia], Brandon Flowers [staying in San Diego], Tramon Williams, and Antonio Cromartie — no one close to Revis’s skill level. If the Patriots are serious about winning a fifth championship next year, Revis will be back.
After spending most of her career in traditional print sports journalism, Cindy began blogging and tweeting, first as NFL/Redskins editor, and, since August 2010, at The Early Lead. She also is the social media editor for Sports.
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