The Jets held a conference call Sunday evening to talk about their decision to trade cornerback Darrelle Revis and it started with General Manager John Idzik saying that the team wanted to hold onto Revis and that Revis wanted to remain with the Jets.
But Idzik said “it’s not as simple as player wanting club and club wanting player” and that Revis and the Jets had a “substantial difference” when it came to their assessment of how big a contract Revis should receive. That would suggest that the team was unwilling to enter into a deal similar to the six-year, $96 million one Revis signed with the Buccaneers, although it’s unclear how far any contract negotiations between Revis and the Jets might have gone before the decision was made to trade him.
“If we had the luxury of time, if we had the luxury of Darrelle not having been injured, not having gone through rehab, I think things would have been a lot clearer,” Idzik said, via Mike Vorkunov of the Newark Star-Ledger. “We ultimately came to the conclusion that this was the best thing to do for the Jets at this time.”
It’s a tough spot for Idzik, who inherited a terrible situation under the cap and in terms of dealing with Revis thanks to the corner’s expiring contract and recovering knee. Whether it was a good deal will be decided in large part by how Idzik uses the picks acquired from Tampa, but it was a deal the Jets had to make if they weren’t going to re-sign Revis.
Owner Woody Johnson and coach Rex Ryan also were on the call, with all saying that they agreed that this was the best course of action for the Jets at the moment. Ryan also pledged to continue playing great defense even without the guy he once again called the best cornerback in the NFL. They’d better or the next big conference call might have to do with the Jets starting a search for a new head coach.