Revis trade, one year later: Winners, losers

[F.Chowds]

Good morning, New York Jets fans. One year ago, your favorite team traded its best player.

 

Yes, April 21 is the first anniversary of the Darrelle Revis trade, a highly controversial move in which John Idzik -- in his first significant decision as the general manager -- traded the then-injured cornerback to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because owner Woody Johnson refused to meet the player's asking price on a new contract, $16 million per year. 

After months of speculation, fans awoke on a Sunday morning to the news that Revis was en route to Tampa to take a physical. Within a couple of hours, it was a done deal, one that will be debated for years. One year later, our take on the winners and losers from the trade: 

Winner -- The Jets. Philosophically, it was the right move because no cornerback is worth $16 million a year, but the right move doesn't always work out. In this case, it did. They used the 2013 draft-pick compensation (13th overall) to select defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. They still have a fourth-round choice in the upcoming draft. To grade the trade mainly on Richardson's performance, however, isn't fair. If the Jets had kept Revis, they wouldn't have needed a cornerback, so they probably would've picked Richardson with their own choice (ninth overall) instead of Dee Milliner. So, when evaluating the trade, Milliner has to be included -- and he was shaky as a rookie. 

Loser -- The Bucs. You can bet they're not celebrating the anniversary in Tampa. It was an ill-advised trade when they made it, and it turned into an all-time bust. The Bucs, under new leadership, decided to cut Revis after only one season. After all the hype, he was just a one-year rental. In the end, the trade cost them a mid-first-round pick and $16 million, and the result was a 4-12 record and pink slips for coach Greg Schiano and GM Mark Dominik. 

Wealthy loser -- Revis. Financially, he made out nicely, making $10 million more from the Bucs than he would've received from the Jets in 2013 -- not a bad raise for a guy coming off ACL surgery. His unexpected trip to free agency allowed him to make another score, landing $12 million from the New England Patriots. Despite a two-year, $28 million haul, Revis has become a hired gun, a well-to-do journeyman who probably will spend the rest of his career going year to year and team to team. It's too bad because he could've gone down as one of the best and most beloved players in Jets history. 

Winners -- The quarterbacks and pass catchers that faced the Jets. Even though the Jets will benefit from the trade over the long haul, they suffered in the short term, missing Revis' presence in the secondary. The Jets allowed a staggering 3,947 passing yards, a 900-yard increase from the previous year and the most allowed by the franchise since 1986. It was a stain on Rex Ryan's sterling record as a defensive mastermind. 

Loser -- Antonio Cromartie. Without Revis, Cromartie became the No. 1 cornerback and was often responsible for covering the opponents' top wideout. He was torched on a fairly regular basis, contributing to his release at the end of the season. He had to settle for a one-year, $3.5 million contract from the Arizona Cardinals.

[Matt39]

pretty fair considering the author

[bitonti]

stay tuned, the Jets face Revis twice this year. 

[BroadwayJets]

The trade isn't over, still have a 4th rounder that could potentially make this trade a one sided landslide. Hopes are high

[faba]

I am not shaking that Revis is playing against us twice.

[Gastineau Lives]

Loser -- Antonio Cromartie. Without Revis, Cromartie became the No. 1 cornerback and was often responsible for covering the opponents' top wideout. He was torched on a fairly regular basis, contributing to his release at the end of the season. He had to settle for a one-year, $3.5 million contract from the Arizona Cardinals.

 

Cromartie did fine when Revis went down. For most of that season, he was one of the best in football.

[faba]

Agreed Jets with Richardson and not giving a player 16 million at CB and Revis  financially made out on this. Tampa Bay has egg on their faces

[stugotz81]

I would think Revis is going to be matched up with Decker when we play the Pats.....and honestly...I think Decker will give him work. 

[CrazyCarl40]

I am not shaking that Revis is playing against us twice.

 

No secondary is shaking against the Jets either. I'm thinking this team is going to be about 2/3rds run anyway. Can't have that much faith in two inaccurate QBs.

[faba]

Does not change the fact Jets come out winners in Revis move- anyone knows the Jets are not going to be  a pass first team

[Maxman]

You have to pass the ball in order for Revis to make an impact. So he will be a non-factor against us.  

[Sperm Edwards]

Disagree that our 1st pick at #9 would have been Richardson, unless another team had already taken Milliner or unless someone else like Austin was available, neither of which happened.

 

We already had Wilkerson, Coples, Harrison, Ellis, and plenty more draft picks upcoming plus other options in free agency.  Richardson was not any greater of a need than Milliner, and other than isolating the 2013 season, CB was a greater need for the future.  No one burns a top 10 pick with only the upcoming season in mind no matter how much Mel Kiper (& others like him) project that they must.  In 2014, Revis had no contract, and Cromartie & Wilson were both entering their final seasons.  Cro wasn't going to get progressively better after that, and the team certainly didn't/doesn't view Wilson as a long-term solution outside.  

 

In other words, unless you draft a player at #9 for the 2013 season alone - a year in which the Jets were in tear-down mode anyway with no QB - the Jets had a need at CB.  In 2014 it would grow bigger, and in 2015 it would be a total crisis with none of our then-three under contract anymore.  Our DL was far more secure for the present and future.  Plus the economics of above-average, free agent CBs suggests that it's a better investment with a high pick than is DT.

 

Also missing from this was the $13M/year the Jets are sitting on by not extending Revis at $16M per.  Richardson was not an even swap because he didn't cost $16M/year.  We're getting at least two other long-term starters for that difference in money.

 

 

Otherwise it's a pretty good summary.

[RutgersJetFan]

Loser -- Antonio Cromartie. Without Revis, Cromartie became the No. 1 cornerback and was often responsible for covering the opponents' top wideout. He was torched on a fairly regular basis, contributing to his release at the end of the season. He had to settle for a one-year, $3.5 million contract from the Arizona Cardinals.

 

This is incredibly unfair. Cro was ****ed up almost all season. In the past, when healthy, he played extremely well when he needed to fill Revis's role. His contract from AZ had absolutely nothing to do with Revis.

[Sperm Edwards]

This is incredibly unfair. Cro was ****ed up almost all season. In the past, when healthy, he played extremely well when he needed to fill Revis's role. His contract from AZ had absolutely nothing to do with Revis.

 

He woudn't necessarily be wrong, though, to allow the possibility that Cro doesn't get injured in the first place if Revis is here.  He would have been in a different place at a different time when he injured his hip. Absent that, he may have been in perfect health for 2013 and wouldn't have gotten cut.  Or if he did get cut, he'd have gotten a better contract than he did from Arizona.  

 

From that point of view, and it's not that far-fetched, one could make the argument that Cromartie lost out on the Revis trade.

[RutgersJetFan]

He woudn't necessarily be wrong, though, to allow the possibility that Cro doesn't get injured in the first place if Revis is here.  He would have been in a different place at a different time when he injured his hip. Absent that, he may have been in perfect health for 2013 and wouldn't have gotten cut.  Or if he did get cut, he'd have gotten a better contract than he did from Arizona.  

 

From that point of view, and it's not that far-fetched, one could make the argument that Cromartie lost out on the Revis trade.

[predator_05]

Tampa Bay's front office looked like imbeciles before and even bigger imbeciles now.

 

Broke the bank for damaged goods like Revis; who looked half as good in their zone based scheme; while releasing [now Superbowl champion] Michael Bennett; and giving a long term contract to [now Buffalo Bill] Mike Williams.

 

Even if this year's comp pick is a bust, Jets still won this trade easily.

[SenorGato]

Revis' situation is just proof that players can not and never will be as greedy as our bestest friends in the whole widest world, the owners. They also have no ability to fight it because the world is just that stupid. Small victories at best.

 

I guess you can claim the Jets won the deal, it's certainly going to be the narrative.

[jack48]

This is incredibly unfair. Cro was ****ed up almost all season. In the past, when healthy, he played extremely well when he needed to fill Revis's role. His contract from AZ had absolutely nothing to do with Revis.

And....when Revis was hurt the year before Cro had to handle top wideouts and did fine. Cro's hip is why he is a loser, not Revis departure.

[Sperm Edwards]

Revis' situation is just proof that players can not and never will be as greedy as our bestest friends in the whole widest world, the owners. They also have no ability to fight it because the world is just that stupid. Small victories at best.

 

I guess you can claim the Jets won the deal, it's certainly going to be the narrative.

 

Let them eat cake.

[SenorGato]

Let them eat cake.

 

Football fans everywhere: Huzzah! Huzzah! Cake! 

[Larz]

IIRC, the bucs were the only team considering revis at 16mm, right ?

 

for idzik to get a 1st out of them was beast mode

[SenorGato]

IIRC, the bucs were the only team considering revis at 16mm, right ?

 

for idzik to get a 1st out of them was beast mode

 

The league needed one team so that this definitely wasn't any kind of collusion, something totally below the NFL. Shut him and any supporters up by saying he got 16, even if not a dollar of it was guaranteed without incentive in writing AND the team got to duck out immediately. The numb nutted people whining that he unfairly schemed his way to 32 will find some spin or just outright ignore it.

[bitonti]

if the Pats win a ton of games this year and Revis is a big part of it, it's tough to say the Jets are winners because of Sheldon and cap space. 

 

especially if the Jets get to the wild card and lose to the Pats on the road (a fairly common scenario over the years) 

 

TBD to be determined. Having him back in the division only one year after the trade is pretty much a worst case scenario for the Jets. 

[KINGDIRK]

Revis is a wealthy WINNER here. In a league where the rules are set up to clearly favor the piece of $hit owners (non-guaranteed contracts, franchise tags, etc) - I say good for Revis. Even after being injured he was able to secure $10M more from Bucs and now barring another injury will parlay it into even more.

 

No he wont be one of the most beloved Jets of all time but I can't blame the guy at all. If I were Revis, me and my family would come before everything else. And part of that means squeezing every penny, in this case extra millions upon millions out of some team(s). 

 

A lot more money, on a team with a real chance to come out of the AFC in 2014 and barring injury will be able to hit FA next year. Only a homer would label that a "loser". 

[Villain The Foe]

If we could go back and do it all over again...I'd tell Idzik to "pull the trigga"! Sheldon Richardson is a beast and Milliner will be a top 10 CB in this league. 

[NYJetsVets91]

If we could go back and do it all over again...I'd tell Idzik to "pull the trigga"! Sheldon Richardson is a beast and Milliner will be a top 10 CB in this league. 

 

Hope Milliner lives up to 9 overall... big year coming up.

[Sperm Edwards]

The league needed one team so that this definitely wasn't any kind of collusion, something totally below the NFL. Shut him and any supporters up by saying he got 16, even if not a dollar of it was guaranteed without incentive in writing AND the team got to duck out immediately. The numb nutted people whining that he unfairly schemed his way to 32 will find some spin or just outright ignore it.

 

Uh, he pretty much got $16M guaranteed, unless you think Tampa was going to cut him after trading the #13 pick for him plus next year's 4th (at a minimum).  If they cut him, surely teams would have been falling over themselves to sign him because he was so worth that much.

 

Also, if it was collusion, then no one would have made the trade for Revis followed by a $16M/year deal.  That's how collusion works.  When a couple of teams show initial interest (San Fran also did), and in the end one still had enough interest to pull the trigger, then it's not collusion. So few teams showed interest because acquiring Revis would have cost a stupid amount for a CB plus we were demanding a 1st round draft pick this year.  I wouldn't expect many takers and was surprised with what Tampa gave to both the Jets and to Revis.  With this logic, it's collusion that caused Chris Ivory to get less than $10M/year in free agency.  Hell, anything that doesn't happen can be said to be due to collusion.  

 

I have no doubt these guys get together for some things, but Revis got $16M for one year of playing CB, and he got it when he wasn't physically able to play at the level that got anyone to think he was worth that.  Even this year, he's boasted that he's 100% totally healthy and still no one's offering up $16M for him, and this is after the cap went up.

 

Your anger is funny.  The way you've framed it, you say Revis is worth $16M per year.  If the CB market disagrees, it's collusion.  So Revis signs that deal with Tampa and he gets one of two things:  $16M per year or he gets his freedom as a UFA where he can go to the highest bidder.  Either way he's getting $16M per if the market truly says he's worth that much.  Except the market didn't say that.  Revis said it.  Tampa foolishly bought into it for 1 year.  And Al Davis was the one who started anyone down this path in the first place with his comical mishandling of Asomugha.

[Sperm Edwards]

Hope Milliner lives up to 9 overall... big year coming up.

 

Yup. We all hope that.  

[Villain The Foe]

Hope Milliner lives up to 9 overall... big year coming up.

It is in fact a big year, thats for sure. Whether we draft a CB in the 1st rd or not, Milliner is our #1 CB and he's going to have to show and prove. 

[SenorGato]

Also, if it was collusion, then no one would have made the trade for Revis followed by a $16M/year deal.

 

 

Yeah, yeah, and if the NFL didn't care about steroids they wouldn't suspend players for PEDs. Yawn.

[Sperm Edwards]

Yeah, yeah, and if the NFL didn't care about steroids they wouldn't suspend players for PEDs. Yawn.

 

So you think that secretly every GM+owner knows Revis is worth $16M on a $120M salary cap (after forking over a #13 overall pick), and that he's worth it for their teams, and would pull the trigger but none did for fear of reprisal from their peers for breaking? Except that one did, but that one doesn't count.

[SenorGato]

So you think that secretly every GM+owner knows Revis is worth $16M on a $120M salary cap (after forking over a #13 overall pick), and that he's worth it for their teams, and would pull the trigger but none did for fear of reprisal from their peers for breaking? Except that one did, but that one doesn't count.

 

Yes, $123 million (and set to fly up), and of course one did. The gamble was a pretty safe one. The 13th pick isn't THAT strong a pick in general and last year wasn't a very strong first round throughout. That Richardson is possibly awesome works out well for the Jets, yay, and the NFL.

 

I think it's hilarious that you think the NFL should parade around and openly **** people. Not that they basically don't, but they're pretty damn good at getting it swept away. Possibly you are their JN plant?

[Sperm Edwards]

Yes, $123 million (and set to fly up), and of course one did. The gamble was a pretty safe one. The 13th pick isn't THAT strong a pick in general and last year wasn't a very strong first round throughout. That Richardson is possibly awesome works out well for the Jets, yay, and the NFL.

 

I think it's hilarious that you think the NFL should parade around and openly **** people. Not that they basically don't, but they're pretty damn good at getting it swept away. Possibly you are their JN plant?

 

So Darrelle Revis has been getting ****ed -- this is your stance? And that 31 owners secretly colluded to not specifically pay Revis $16M (and give up a first and more for the privilege) even though it would clearly get any/many of them closer to a superbowl, BUT one of them pulled the rug out from under them all by unexpectedly breaking ranks.  Unexpectedly, that is, after publicly negotiating through the media for weeks? lol

 

Now THAT is hilarious.

[SenorGato]

So Darrelle Revis has been getting ****ed -- this is your stance?

 

 

Less so than most other players in the league, but of course he is. The Bucs and league announced it as 6/96 and he got 1/16 out of it. Where is that not a bit of a **** you? 

 

Anyway, change 31 to 32 and write unexpectedly as "unexpectedly"...hilarious to depressing because #proleshateproles. Unless you're the NFL plant, in which case boooooo. 

[Bleedin Green]

Disagree that our 1st pick at #9 would have been Richardson, unless another team had already taken Milliner or unless someone else like Austin was available, neither of which happened.

 

We already had Wilkerson, Coples, Harrison, Ellis, and plenty more draft picks upcoming plus other options in free agency.  Richardson was not any greater of a need than Milliner, and other than isolating the 2013 season, CB was a greater need for the future.  No one burns a top 10 pick with only the upcoming season in mind no matter how much Mel Kiper (& others like him) project that they must.  In 2014, Revis had no contract, and Cromartie & Wilson were both entering their final seasons.  Cro wasn't going to get progressively better after that, and the team certainly didn't/doesn't view Wilson as a long-term solution outside.  

 

In other words, unless you draft a player at #9 for the 2013 season alone - a year in which the Jets were in tear-down mode anyway with no QB - the Jets had a need at CB.  In 2014 it would grow bigger, and in 2015 it would be a total crisis with none of our then-three under contract anymore.  Our DL was far more secure for the present and future.  Plus the economics of above-average, free agent CBs suggests that it's a better investment with a high pick than is DT.

 

Also missing from this was the $13M/year the Jets are sitting on by not extending Revis at $16M per.  Richardson was not an even swap because he didn't cost $16M/year.  We're getting at least two other long-term starters for that difference in money.

 

 

Otherwise it's a pretty good summary.

 

Thank you for saving me the trouble of writing this exact same post, which I have done repeatedly throughout the past year.  That argument which was being made in the article is simply complete nonsense from those desperate to try to diminish what at this point has clearly been determined to be an unquestionably positive move for the Jets.  There is absolutely no evidence to suggest the Jets would have taken Richardson over Milliner, as the entire "need" argument completely invalidates any idea of them drafting Richardson at all, a pick they were completely trashed for at the time mind you.

 

That's not even to mention the idiocy revolving around citing Revis as the reason for the change in the Jets pass defense from 2012 to 2013 when the guy had played 1 1/2 games in the former season.