There’s Smoke, But Is There Fire? New York Jets May Not Actually Want to Trade Darrelle Revis

Mandatory Credit: Jim O

It is widely “known” around the media following the NFL that the New York Jets do not plan to extend the contract of Darrelle Revis. This means that the best course of action is to trade the All-Pro cornerback, and much like the Denver Nuggets of the NBA did when they unloaded Carmelo Anthony for a bunch of promising role players and potential stars, the Jets would seek to get value out of Revis before his contract expires and he’s allowed to walk for free.

But what if the Jets don’t really want to trade him?

There have been whispers and rumors that Woody Johnson is the person in the Jets’ organization who has said the Jets refuse to re-sign Revis. But lost in the whirlwind of rumors in mid-March was a report from Newsday in New York that quoted Woody Johnson as saying that rumors of a “reluctance” to re-sign Revis are “patently untrue.”

Today, Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune dug up that train of thought, and got multiple Bucs’ fans thinking about the reality of the situation:

There is certainly something holding this deal up, and with all the uncertainty as to which side wants what kind of compensation, is it possible that the honest truth is the Jets have cold feet about trading away the best player on their team for nothing but draft choices?

Revis has not spoken out against the Jets during this offseason, and seems to be happy to return to New York. The media spotlight of the Big Apple is likely very appealing to Revis, and there’s likely a comfort level being in the place that he has called home for so long. The Jets are rebuilding, but would leave themselves with a need at corner going forward should they allow Revis to move along. They could select a corner in the NFL Draft to replace Darrelle, but for a team that looks to identify itself with a strong defense, having one of the best defensive players in the league is a great foundation.

Also, don’t forget that the Jets have a new general manager. Mike Tannenbaum was let go this offseason, and replaced with John Idzik, Jr. This new regime of player-personnel management may have a different outlook on Revis’ future, and could have swayed Woody Johnson’s opinion on the prospect of keeping Revis around for the long haul.

There’s also the possibility that the Buccaneers are not willing to give up a first round pick, or the Jets simply want too much in compensation. At this point, it’s impossible to reconcile the many different reports that are floating around. That either means this trade is about to go down, or about to blow up. I still honestly believe a trade will go down, but I won’t be shocked (or depressed) to see the trade never finalize.