It’s been the subject of much discussion this off-season, from casual fans around the watercooler to the producers of HBO’s hit series Hard Knocks, and in spite of rumors floating around earlier this week indicating the end was near, the cold war brewing between New York and All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis is on the verge of becoming a full fledged shooting affair very soon.
According to Yahoo! Sports’ Jason Cole, the Jets are running the very real risk of alienating Revis so much that he’ll shut down the negotiations altogether, eliminating any chance the team may have to sign Revis to a long term contract and keep him in the fold.
Much of Cole’s prognosis comes from pure speculation on his part, but there is definitely more to this story than just that, with both sides in this drama doing everything they can to paint the other in a negative light in an effort to push their agenda to the forefront.
Revis’ demands at this point are overly inflated and if he wants to play this year, he’d be wise to lower his proposal enough to give the Jets a reasonable exit in which they don’t lose too much face.
That said, given the way New York pimped Revis’ skill level and overall talent last season, it’s hard to have much sympathy for their plight as its mostly of their own making. Head coach Rex Ryan and general manager Mike Tannenbaum did everything they could to encourage the love fest for Revis, even allowing the city of New York to get in on the act, with Mayor Bloomberg going so far as to rename Manhattan Island to “Revis Island.”
At this point, the Jets almost have to acquiesce to Revis’ demands, unless of course they’re comfortable with the notion of not having him on the field for them this season, in a year where many pundits have picked them for a Super Bowl berth. Taking a risk and moving on without him is not something New York can afford at this point, and while Revis still wants way too much, if the Jets negotiate in better faith with Revis’ team, it’s likely they’d be able to sneak away from the table without giving up the entire farm.
All in all, both sides have a lot at stake in this mess, making it unlikely that either will budge from their position all that far, but seeing as the Jets have more to lose than Revis does at this point, the onus will fall on them to make a deal happen in the coming weeks.
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Written by Chris Kolb
Topics: New York Jets