The Jets Need to Give Darrelle Revis Whatever He Wants
For a team that is centered around their defense, the Jets are acting as if they don't need their best defensive player. Jets standout cornerback, Darrelle Revis is officially a holdout. He threatened to do so months ago if he didn't get a deal done and he was true to his word. Usually when guys hold out, it annoys me, but Revis has a legitimate beef. I'm not a Jets fan, but I'm sure they feel him on this one too.
As arguably the best corner in the league, Revis would like to get paid like one. Literally. His beef is that he wants to be the highest paid corner in the league. The Jets partially have Al Davis to thank for this. The Raiders gave Nnamdi Asomugha a 3-year $45.3M contract in February of this year. That's $15M a year. Well, Revis wants $16 a year. I say give it to him. Last year, Revis was able to shut down Chad Johnson (twice), Randy Moss, Steve Smith, T.O (twice) and Andre Johnson. Not too shabby.
Earlier this offseason, Chris Johnson of the Titans threatened to hold out if he didn't get a deal done. The Titans were smart by giving the 2,000 yard back more money. I thought that was a sign that Revis would get a deal dont too. What really gets me about this whole football contract situation is how cheap teams can be. Let me clarify. They're only cheap with guys who deserve to get paid. Revis has proven that he deserves what he wants but teams will give a rookie, who hasn't even played a single down yet, $50M guaranteed (see Sam Bradford in St. Louis. Actually, see every rookie QB who goes #1 overall).
If I were Revis, I wouldn't budge until they gave me what they want. Revis knows that they need him. They're nothing without him. Head Coach, Rex Ryan and veteran LB Bart Scott each acknowledged the importance of Revis. If the Head Coach says that, then Darrelle must be at home smiling. This whole situation is nonsense. GM, Mike Tannnenbaum said that they offered Darrelle both a short term and a long term deal that were both shot down by the Revis camp. I don't know the figures of those alleged proposals, but I'm sure it was low ball.
With the moves that they made this offseason, the Jets are clear SuperBowl contenders. Not without Revis though. Even with the perennial AFC East powerhouse, New England Patriots, in their division, I think the Jets are the better team. I was in LA in the middle of July and had the opportunity to interview Wes Welker of the Patriots and he told me that the Jets scare him (Look for that interview towards the start of the regular season. Shameless plug, but why not? I mean, you are on my site). I fully expect both sides to come to an agreement before the season starts and then all will be forgiven. But as of right now, the Jets look like fools.
The jets better pay that man.
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You know what really bothers me the most about this? In general, it is widely known that football is the most popular, and highest revenue generating sport in America; however, the players union ALLOWS ownership to give them contracts that are sub-par and almost laughable in comparison to the other major sports in our country. A-Rod can bat .200 and hit 15 home runs this season, and his checks keep on coming unmodified. Kobe can get hurt and miss an entire season, and get paid-in-full to be a cheerleader.
A football player risks his life nearly every snap (if not his health and long-term quality of life with a serious injury every snap). Yet, managment gives them the most terrible contracts that are performance and incentive-ladden...AND, they have the option to re-nig on the contract and cut a player prematurely if he doesn't meet expectations. Hypocritically, if you exceed expectations, you are villified for wanting what you are owed, based upon your performance - and rarely does ownership give in to even reasonable demands. In my opinion, the players should just strike (although there is a pending strike on the horizon)...it's loooong overdue for them to take the power back. Nearly every retiree has some physical impedement that impacts their quality of life after football, and they are expected to live of the shitty contracts they gave their lives for (almost literally) and pensions that are adequate at best.
Revis is the best player in the game at his position, so he deserves the money. The Raiders corner is getting nearly 16 million a year (on a team that hasn't won more than 5 games in a season in over 7 years). Revis is the best defensive player on a top 3 defensive team, and shut down the most elite receivers in the game EVERYTIME he plays...by the way, the Jets were nearly conference champs being lead by a rookie quarterback.
Long story short...every player in his situation shouldn't play and risk life threatening injury unless you are being compensated appropriately for your services (that is, your contract and compensation is comparable to other players in the league at your position with similar statistics and accolades).
This obviously doesn't apply to average or second tier players (most of whom are just happy to be on a roster). This clearly applies to elite players with options, relatively speaking.
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