A week ago, the Jets and the Buccaneers stood relatively close to a trade that would have sent cornerback Darrelle Revis to Tampa. Now, the Bucs are close to losing interest.
The biggest takeaway from our first full day at the league meetings in Phoenix is that, with the Jets and Buccaneers taking strong opposing positions as to the trade value of one of the best defensive players in football, the Buccaneers are close to moving on. The belief is that the Jets want a package headlined by a first-round pick, and that the Buccaneers are willing to part with, at most, a 2014 first-round selection.
The Plan B remains Falcons cornerback Brent Grimes, who has drawn interest from the Dolphins and the Browns. The Bucs and Grimes are, we’re told, talking — and if/when the Buccaneers land the Falcons’ 2012 franchise player, the Bucs will be out of the Revis business.
Given the depressed cornerback market in free agency, the Jets may have a hard time finding another team willing to give up a 2013 first-round selection and pay Revis. At some point, the best move for Revis will be to spend the coming season showing that he is healthy, and hitting the free-agency market in 2014.
Many presume that the Jets would receive in 2015 a third-round compensatory selection for losing Revis next year. As Adam Schefter of ESPN points out, however, the Chargers got nothing for losing receiver Vincent Jackson in 2012. That’s because compensatory picks flow from net free-agency losses and signings. If the Jets sign enough other players in 2014, they’ll lose their shot at an extra pick at the bottom of round three the next year if/when Revis signs elsewhere.
More importantly, if they don’t trade Revis to a team that signs him to a long-term deal, the Jets could see him join the Patriots, Dolphins, or Bills. Or the Giants.