To the extent that sweat has been gathering on the brow of Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News, who has reported that the Jets and cornerback Darrelle Revis will reach a new contract “probably Wednesday,” the liquid likely is now snaking down the contours of Cowlishaw’s face.
As Wednesday’s ownership meeting in Atlanta, Jets owner Woody Johnson told NFL Network’s Steve Wyche that, as to Revis, things remain “status quo.”
This implies that no negotiations have occurred, that no progress has been made, and that no agreement to bridge a gap that some believe covers $40 million in total contract value is close to being reached.
As a practical matter, Johnson’s comment (if accepted at face value) means that he won’t be calling G.M. Mike Tannenbaum today and instructing him to accept Revis’ pending proposal. Whether Revis secretly plans to cave today remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, Cowlishaw is becoming downright strident in defending his report. “AOL Fanhouse, Pitt radio, NYC ESPN radio and I all must have different sources,” Cowlishaw said on Twitter. “If all wrong, that’s beyond strange.“
But if everyone who has reported that nothing is going on are all wrong (including the owner of the team), that’s beyond strange, too.
Bottom line? This entire situation is beyond strange. And that’s why we find it so damn fascinating.