Re: Revis, NY Jets and Holdouts

Hours after Dallas Morning News columnist Tim Cowlishaw Tweeted the New York Jets and holdout All-Pro CB Darrelle Revis will announce the two sides have come to a contract agreement this week (of course not confirmed by the team, Revis’ camp or the Jets beat writers), news leaked out from multiple sources that the team is close to signing another young All-Pro to a contract extension: center Nick Mangold.

Despite playing on different sides of the ball, Revis and Mangold are very similar. Both first round draft picks by the Jets. Both are unhappy with their current contracts that they are currently signed to. Both are All-Pro’s and pretty damn good at their positions. Both talked about holding out of training camp if a new deal was not signed.

But that’s where the similarities end.

Mangold honored the contract he signed and reported to camp on time. Revis, who previously held out for the contract he is currently signed to, which also has three more seasons left on the term, has held out.

Now it seems like Mangold is being rewarded for reporting to camp by receiving the contract extension that he deserves. The contract is rumored to make him the highest paid center in the NFL.

Are the Jets sending a message to Revis and his agents? Are they saying, “Look at Nick Mangold: he’s a team player and we rewarded him as such”?

The only leverage Revis has is that he was the best player for the NFL’s best defense in 2009. That’s pretty good ground to stand on. But last year the Jets’ defense only had one legit cornerback: Revis. In the off-season, they traded for another All-Pro cornerback in Antonio Cromartie and used their first round pick on Kyle Wilson.

2010 of Cromartie + Wilson > 2009 of Revis and the leftovers.

The Jets trumped Revis’ leverage. Of course the Jets would be a whole lot better with Revis, but as is right now their 2010 cornerbacks are more balanced then the 2009 version.

So here we are the beginning again. Will Revis holdout for the entire season? And what about the potential work stoppage in 2011 players face when the League’s Collective Bargaining Agreement ends. With so much about the 2011 NFL season unknown, is Revis willing to risk sitting out two full seasons?

Revis wants to be paid as the highest earning cornerback in the NFL. Fair enough and deservingly so. The Oakland Raiders' Nnamdi Asomugha currently holds the honor Revis is seeking at a whopping $16 million per year on a short-term deal. Revis wants that kind of money over a long term, but he should settle for having the largest total compensation for a cornerback under contract.

The Jets aren’t going where Revis wants. They didn’t in the offseason. They haven’t this summer or in training camp. I doubt they will go there if Cowlishaw is wrong and the holdout continues into the season.

And here’s another thing to remember: No one wins during holdouts. The fans don’t because their team isn’t as good without the player. Same goes for the team, who also runs the risk of looking cheap (although I don’t think the Jets do in this case). The player might win in terms of money, but fans will never look at him the same way. For the player, even a small mistake on the playing field gets blown-up ten fold because in the fans’ view post-holdout the player’s performance has to be perfect. All the time. Anything less is unacceptable.

Luckily for Revis, he’s reputation is still repairable if he signs soon. If Cowlishaw is correct and Revis and the Jets come to terms this week, everything will be OK in Jetsland.

If not, Revis is in for a tougher time then the Jets.