Jets G.M. Mike Tannenbaum knows he has a couple of unhappy players on his hands, and is making public comments designed to let those players know the team values them.
Asked about cornerback Darrelle Revis and center Nick Mangold, both of whom want new deals, Tannenbaum said the Jets are committed to keeping them.
“All I can say is that Darrelle is everything we believe in, on and off the field,’' Tannenbaum said. “We told him that shortly after the season. We remain committed to that. He’s a foundation for this organization.’'
Of course, telling Revis he’s everything the Jets believe in is a far cry from giving Revis the kind of money he wants. Tannenbaum isn’t committing to making Revis the highest-paid cornerback in football, but he is committing to a long-term contract with Revis.
“We remain committed to trying to get something done within reason that’s good for Darrelle and good for the team,’' Tannenbaum said. “Hopefully he’ll be here not only for the short-term, but the long-term.’'
Mangold won’t get the kind of money Revis will get, but he does want more money than he’s getting now. Tannenbaum sounds open to re-doing Mangold’s deal as well.
“He remains a priority, too,’' Tannenbaum said of Mangold. “A top priority.’'
So the Jets are taking the approach of publicly talking up Revis and Mangold, rather than escalating things by telling them to honor their contracts. Soon we’ll see whether the talk is cheap, or whether Revis and Mangold get new deals.