Darrelle Revis Holds Out

I believe players should be compensated fairly for their talents. I also believe players should honor their contracts. Especially their rookie contracts. Above all else, I also believe players should not, under any circumstances, hold out and alienate the organization, his coaches, and most importantly his teammates. That last sentence was for you Darrelle.

3 years ago Revis hadn't done a single thing in the NFL when he signed his first ever pro contract. Nowadays Revis is considered the top CB in the entire league, and he feels like he should be paid like the top CB in the league...after his current contract expires. The day a player underachieves compared to his salary and holds out until his contract is restructured so that he'll make less money, I'll give the go ahead for players to hold out for more money like Revis.

The Jets made a lot of offseason moves giving their fans loads of optimism and high expectations, but with their team's best player, and arguably the league's top defensive player, sitting on the sidelines and forgoing first-team defense reps fans have to be a little worried. Revis' agent is talking as if Revis is trying to do more than make a statement and appear in camp after doing so. According to Neil Schwartz Revis was "extremely deliberate in this decision making process" and Revis' "actions will speak louder than words...his absence will be deafening". That's some tough talk from a Jew.

So what is New York to do? Every organization has to be careful in these situations as they do not want to set a dangerous precedent. It's hard to do what's best for the team and organization all at the same time. If the player gets exactly what they want, what's stopping every disgruntled player on the roster from following suit? However, how does the front office negotiate in such a way that doesn't rub the player the wrong way while talking the terms down into it's budget? I don't have the answers, and neither does A.J. Smith.

As I mentioned before, Revis is without a doubt the Jets best player. Hands down. No question. So how much would he be missed if he missed actual, meaningful game time? When considering his talent, surprisingly, not as much as you'd think. New York brings back Dwight Lowery, who started opposite Revis for the Jets top ranked defensive unit last year, traded for San Diego starter Antonio Cromarite, who had 10 INTs in '07 and is very fertile, and newly signed first round draft pick Kyle Wilson out of Boise St.

Obviously none of the CBs currently in camp are comparable to Darrelle Revis, but none of them would be considered a weak link on the defensive side of the ball. The Jets are a sexy pick to win the Super Bowl this year in Dallas mostly because of Revis' ability to shut down an opponent's #1 WR, however head coach Rex Ryan believes the Jets can still compete for a Super Bowl without Revis. Whether they can or not has yet to be seen, but I guarantee Rex Ryan and the rest of the Jets organization and fans would rather not roll the dice and instead give Revis what he wants. Once again talent will win out.