Keidel: The Jets Need To Deal Darrelle Revis, And They Need To Do It Now
By Jason Keidel
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Like most New Yorkers, I take a stand and stick to it. We from the five boroughs are an obdurate bunch -- loyal, vocal and vociferous. So when I said that the Jets should jettison Darrelle Revis -- an aging star fresh off serious knee surgery who is also a certified diva at the bargaining table -- I meant it.
Until I didn't.
Then when I said the Jets should savor and sign Revis, I meant it.
Until I didn't.
Now I've made up my mind.
I think.
Deal Revis. Now.
Peter King -- perhaps the preeminent NFL detective on Earth -- reported that the Buccaneers are offering the Jets their first and third-round picks next month for Revis. And the Jets haven't jumped on it.
And I have no idea why, particularly when you consider that Woody Johnson hasn't even spoken to Revis or his agent regarding a contract extension. And since all the brass' posturing indicates that they will trade Revis, balking at the Bucs would be insane.
Evidently, the Jets want a one and a two, not a one and a three. Tampa Bay made such an offer, but such picks would be in 2014, not next month. Why would that be such a staggering difference for a team with no top-tier talent and a dearth of decent prospects? Free agents have fled the Jets like Tokyo residents when Godzilla rumbles onshore. Not to mention that Rex Ryan, the hefty, haughty coach of Gang Green, is clearly coaching for his job this season. He needs all the troops he can get, and he needs them now -- not next year, when he could be burnishing his resume.
Let another team worry about Revis' knee and need for cash and cachet. Any team that takes on Revis has a two-tiered dilemma. First they must send suitable parts to the Jets, and then deal with Revis at the bargaining table -- where he's a certified diva with delusions of Peyton Manning money. It's perfectly understandable if Jets fans are queasy about dropping $16 million on a man fresh off the knife who plays a peripheral position, no matter how divine he does it.
Bill Parcells said that he wouldn't wedge his wallet so wide open for a cornerback. And who are we to question the Tuna, the newly-branded, Canton-bound former boss of Big Blue? Indeed, it's fair to say that only signal callers are worth the kind of quid that Revis requires, even for the best cover guy since Deion Sanders.
There are so many conflicting impulses over Revis.
- With such a bad team, you need at least one bona fide baller to keep fans engaged. But who comes to watch cornerbacks?
- You need to rebuild with such a vaccuum in talent. But how do you rebuild around a defensive back?
- You need to keep your best player to prove to your fan base that you're serious. But how do you prove that when you need the draft picks you procure for shipping Revis?
- You'll never draft a player as good as Revis, even if the Bucs give you a first and second-round pick. But isn't it better to save the money and get two good, inexpensive players than one overpriced great player who always demands more money the moment the ink cakes on his contract?
So it seems no view on Revis is wrong.
I think.
Only the Jets can turn a homegrown stud into a polarizing, isolated star stuck on Revis Island, a plot of land that New Yorkers used to visit with such pleasant frequency. But it is what it is.
The Jets need to deal Revis now. Not next year, not next month, not next week. Don't wait for the perfect offer, because there isn't one. We sign onto Match.com waiting for the perfect partner when she doesn't exist. We wait for the perfect job offer when there isn't one. I wrote a novel 10 years ago and fired my agent because she wasn't perfect. Then I never sold the book. Just like there isn't a perfect player, there's no perfect team.
We just wish the Jets didn't remind us so vividly, and so often.
I think.
Are you with Keidel? Do the Jets just need to pull the trigger already and be done with it? Sound off with your thoughts and comments below...
