The list of media folks who are suggesting that Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis soon will have a record contract continues to grow.
Bob Pompeani of KDKA, a veteran and respected member of the Pittsburgh media, says on his Twitter page that Revis, who grew up in nearby Aliquippia and played college football at Pitt is “getting closer to accepting a record deal from Jets,” and that it could be a 10-year deal worth $150 million, with $65 million guaranteed.
We became aware of Pompeani’s tweet because it was mentioned late last night by Chris Mortensen of ESPN, who has been careful to point out that he hasn’t “shot down” reports regarding the lack of progress between the Jets and Revis. Mort explains that he has reported only that the Jets deny the reports that a deal is imminent.
It’s a smart move by Mort. Most of the dissenting reports presumably arise from Jets sources or source close to Revis who deny on an off-the-record basis that progress has been made. So if a deal gets done by midnight tonight, Mort will be able to say that he was merely passing along the fact that the Jets denied the reports, and thus shame on the Jets for lying about it.
Meanwhile, it’s hard to tell whether Pompeani’s report has been influenced by the chatter that inevitably has arisen in the wake of the reports that a deal is close. If folks assume a deal is close, there will be speculation as to what the deal could be worth. With the Jets reportedly offering $120 million over 10 years and Revis supposedly demanding more than $160 million over 10 years, $150 million over 10 represents a plausible middle ground.
Also, there’s a hypothesis making the rounds that Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News, the man who first suggested three days ago that a deal is coming this week, may have caught wind of an intention by Jets owner Woody Johnson to cave to Revis’ demands via Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who faced a similar dilemma 17 years ago, when running back Emmitt Smith was holding out. Under the hypothesis (and we mention it only because NFL insiders are offering it up as a potential theory), Johnson showed the Revis proposal to Jones, Jones told Johnson that the proposal is reasonable in light of Revis’ skill level and the broader market, and Johnson told Jones he’ll be instructing G.M. Mike Tannenbaum to accept the proposal on Wednesday, even if Tannenbaum doesn’t know it yet.
Before 164 of you comment on how ridiculous that hypothesis is, let me say this: That hypothesis is ridiculous. Owners rarely if ever help other owners, and Jones (who hopes his team will be playing in the Super Bowl hosted this season in his new stadium) surely would not want to help one of the franchises favored to represent the AFC in the game.
That said, it does make some sense that Johnson would ask, given that Jones once found himself in the same predicament, caving to Emmitt after the Cowboys started 0-2.
But feel free to post a comment conveying your belief that the hypothesis is ridiculous. Just remember that we’re merely passing along the existence of the hypothesis, not endorsing it.
I learned that trick from Mort.