Best I've Seen From Mehta in Years: NFL Investigates Jets re Revis

[Savage69]

As good a reason as any other I heard, but it was 2 and 32.5 he must have charged the pats 500,000 for relocating or the interest he lost only getting 12.5 his first year and not 16.. .

picky picky picky...LOL

[Savage69]

Leave the guy alone, Revis never had to work so long. He probably shows up 3 weeks late to camp to make up for the 3 extra games the pats made him play.

Revis had to play more games as a Jet in 09 and 10.. Although he held out in 2010 which resulted in missing some games with a hammy so just 09 then.. Pats won the east so they never had to play extra games they got a bye..

[Sperm Edwards]

just making a comment man, don't get all nasty. what do i care if i get internet points if it goes down this way. it is an opinion board and i'm stating same. you're confusing me with others i believe.

 

Nasty? C'mon lighten up. It was a play on you yourself saying you've told us over and over (even though I didn't see the others).

 

Internet points. lol

[Sperm Edwards]

The Pats chose to decline on his option though, he wasn't due to become a FA. That's where I think this whole thing is shot.

 

I think the biggest problems are that we not only signed him after he hit free agency, but that Woody was given a warning one year ago for a player we ultimately didn't go after in free agency.

 

The timing of his signing (with us) I think is irrelevant; we either signed him or we didn't. In our case, we did. 

 

Hopefully for us it's just a fine for Woody, with Goodell realizing Revis was always going to test the waters in the last and most lucrative FA opportunity of his career.

[patman]

Revis had to play more games as a Jet in 09 and 10.. Although he held out in 2010 which resulted in missing some games with a hammy so just 09 then.. Pats won the east so they never had to play extra games they got a bye..

But he had to practice during the byes

[Sperm Edwards]

Revis likes money and NY those 2 things are what brought him back period..

 

That was my last point to BroadwayJets. Even if the money was right, I think Revis was always going to hold off on re-signing with NE until after he saw what else he could get. Can hardly fault him for that.

 

If Revis had a history of taking hometown discounts from his incumbent team (lol) then NE's whining would carry more weight.

 

Then again, if locking Revis up was such a priority for them, they didn't have to wait until freaking March to pick up the phone and call up Uncle Sean. Granted I'm biased, but IMO they lose a little cred there. Once the injury risk had passed, Revis was never going to sign in NE without seeing what ALL other teams were willing to pony up (not just the Jets).

[Sperm Edwards]

This whole thing never would have been an issue if Woody could control himself in front of a microphone. Wasn't even a "gotcha" question; he was just dumb enough to answer it as he did.

[patman]

I think the biggest problems are that we not only signed him after he hit free agency, but that Woody was given a warning one year ago for a player we ultimately didn't go after in free agency.

 

The timing of his signing (with us) I think is irrelevant; we either signed him or we didn't. In our case, we did. 

 

Hopefully for us it's just a fine for Woody, with Goodell realizing Revis was always going to test the waters in the last and most lucrative FA opportunity of his career.

Specially when Mehta gave him what the jets offer was going to be.

 

Look, he wanted to be a jet this year, he wanted to be a jet last year and said that he never wanted to leave.  But if there was any doubt in his mind that the jets wanted him back, Woody made sure they was not a vestige of doubt left with the comments to the media. Then the day before the pats need to pick up the option, Mehta publishes the jets offer,  I mean when Mike Kensil of all people sends someone to investigate the jets, you know the league thought something was there.

[Sperm Edwards]

Specially when Mehta gave him what the jets offer was going to be.

 

Look, he wanted to be a jet this year, he wanted to be a jet last year and said that he never wanted to leave.  But if there was any doubt in his mind that the jets wanted him back, Woody made sure they was not a vestige of doubt left with the comments to the media. Then the day before the pats need to pick up the option, Mehta publishes the jets offer,  I mean when Mike Kensil of all people sends someone to investigate the jets, you know the league thought something was there.

 

The option part is crap. The whole planet knew on the day it was signed that NE wasn't picking up that option. It was $20M (cap hit of $25M), he's a CB, and it's not like NE had the Jets' cap space coming up.

 

If Kraft or Belichick were doing more than just posturing, and they truly wanted to ante up for a player they knew would cost crazy money, they could have gotten him for less before the injury risk had come and gone. They could have come to him in week 8, for example. 

 

Woody's a dope who gave them an out for what they wanted: the ability to pick up a draft pick (taking it from the Jets, no less) and saving face saying it wasn't their fault if they didn't re-sign Revis. With 10 more injury-risk games coming up, Revis wasn't going to turn down a redone offer with more guaranteed money. They chose to wait until that risk (for Revis) came and went. It's their own fault. 

[HessStation]

I might be a slut but I'm not that easy. Nice try Mehta. 

[prime21]

Specially when Mehta gave him what the jets offer was going to be.

 

Look, he wanted to be a jet this year, he wanted to be a jet last year and said that he never wanted to leave.  But if there was any doubt in his mind that the jets wanted him back, Woody made sure they was not a vestige of doubt left with the comments to the media. Then the day before the pats need to pick up the option, Mehta publishes the jets offer,  I mean when Mike Kensil of all people sends someone to investigate the jets, you know the league thought something was there.

 

 I believe he wanted to be a Jet but I'm sure his people also saw that we had a lot of cap space last year and definitely this year.  

[BroadwayJets]

I think the biggest problems are that we not only signed him after he hit free agency, but that Woody was given a warning one year ago for a player we ultimately didn't go after in free agency.

 

The timing of his signing (with us) I think is irrelevant; we either signed him or we didn't. In our case, we did. 

 

Hopefully for us it's just a fine for Woody, with Goodell realizing Revis was always going to test the waters in the last and most lucrative FA opportunity of his career.

Yeah, you're spot on. It just feels that since he was under contract for another year, it shouldn't matter. What Woody said was tampering by rule, but Revis being on the Jets is because of the Pats dropping him, had nothing to do with tampering. I really don't believe anything should come of this. But, who knows with this league anymore...

[Jetfan13]

Well how did he know the jets offer of 3 years and 48 mill days before FA, someone in the organization told him he was off only by 1 mil on the guranntee part of it. .

Lucky guess? He is a hack who had sources years back but kept leaking info. He was run out of town. If he knew something he got it from a 3rd source, not the Jets.

[PFSIKH]

The option part is crap. The whole planet knew on the day it was signed that NE wasn't picking up that option. It was $20M (cap hit of $25M), he's a CB, and it's not like NE had the Jets' cap space coming up.

 

If Kraft or Belichick were doing more than just posturing, and they truly wanted to ante up for a player they knew would cost crazy money, they could have gotten him for less before the injury risk had come and gone. They could have come to him in week 8, for example. 

 

Woody's a dope who gave them an out for what they wanted: the ability to pick up a draft pick (taking it from the Jets, no less) and saving face saying it wasn't their fault if they didn't re-sign Revis. With 10 more injury-risk games coming up, Revis wasn't going to turn down a redone offer with more guaranteed money. They chose to wait until that risk (for Revis) came and went. It's their own fault. 

 

I agree with your point he liks money and NY.  This one you are wrong on though.

 

Why would a guy that loves to maximize his value take a below Revis market value contract?  He knew  he was likely to become a FA with the Pats' 2015 cap hit for him.  I am sure he would have been a holdout if the Patriots held him to the charge.  Why get 20 when you can have 39?

 

Revis is smart.  He was never going to sign and in season contract short of the Patriots going to 100 million and that never happened for Brady. 

[Sperm Edwards]

I agree with your point he liks money and NY.  This one you are wrong on though.

 

Why would a guy that loves to maximize his value take a below Revis market value contract?  He knew  he was likely to become a FA with the Pats' 2015 cap hit for him.  I am sure he would have been a holdout if the Patriots held him to the charge.  Why get 20 when you can have 39?

 

Revis is smart.  He was never going to sign and in season contract short of the Patriots going to 100 million and that never happened for Brady. 

 

They could have offered him a Revis market contract extension in week 8. You think there's some reason they couldn't? 

 

Revis is also smart enough to know if an offer is on the table and you don't have to risk a serious injury, then take it. It's why he held out all summer for his prior Jets deal, and he surely realizes how lucky he got (that Tampa anted up at the last minute) after missing a whole season to his knee injury. If he'd sustained the same or similar injury again between week 9 and the superbowl it would cost him tens of millions of dollars he'd never be able to recover.

 

That's absolutely right: I think if NE offered him in week 8 what they (allegedly) offered him ~10 days ago, Revis would have grabbed it. It's what he gambled on by taking "only" $11.5M in 2014. He went to NE to show he was fully healed and show the world what a stud CB could do for an otherwise also-ran. He bet on himself and he won big time.

 

If NE truly wanted him to come back and was truly willing to pay (and guarantee) him close to what the Jets gave, as Kraft alleges, then they f*cked up badly by waiting until March to first address it. At that point they'd have to pay over market value to keep Revis from testing the market at all.

[patman]

The option part is crap. The whole planet knew on the day it was signed that NE wasn't picking up that option. It was $20M (cap hit of $25M), he's a CB, and it's not like NE had the Jets' cap space coming up.

 

If Kraft or Belichick were doing more than just posturing, and they truly wanted to ante up for a player they knew would cost crazy money, they could have gotten him for less before the injury risk had come and gone. They could have come to him in week 8, for example. 

 

Woody's a dope who gave them an out for what they wanted: the ability to pick up a draft pick (taking it from the Jets, no less) and saving face saying it wasn't their fault if they didn't re-sign Revis. With 10 more injury-risk games coming up, Revis wasn't going to turn down a redone offer with more guaranteed money. They chose to wait until that risk (for Revis) came and went. It's their own fault. 

Who is talking about the option,  yes it was widely assumed that a extension was going to be offered and the pats were not going to pick it up. The tampering was telling the media, that the guy that did not want him was fired and the owner wanted him back and that it was a mistake not to sign him last year. The front office then tells Mehta what the offer was going to be and he publishes it during the time when the Pats are trying to get him to sign a deal, that would make him the highest paid CB long term even though he is 4 years older than his comparables , haden, sherman and Peterson. Revis tells the pats that is now the starting point and the pats fold. You can't tell a member of the media that you want a player on another team. That is tempering, never mind telling him what the offer is going to be. 

[patman]

They could have offered him a Revis market contract extension in week 8. You think there's some reason they couldn't? 

 

Revis is also smart enough to know if an offer is on the table and you don't have to risk a serious injury, then take it. It's why he held out all summer for his prior Jets deal, and he surely realizes how lucky he got (that Tampa anted up at the last minute) after missing a whole season to his knee injury. If he'd sustained the same or similar injury again between week 9 and the superbowl it would cost him tens of millions of dollars he'd never be able to recover.

 

That's absolutely right: I think if NE offered him in week 8 what they (allegedly) offered him ~10 days ago, Revis would have grabbed it. It's what he gambled on by taking "only" $11.5M in 2014. He went to NE to show he was fully healed and show the world what a stud CB could do for an otherwise also-ran. He bet on himself and he won big time.

 

If NE truly wanted him to come back and was truly willing to pay (and guarantee) him close to what the Jets gave, as Kraft alleges, then they f*cked up badly by waiting until March to first address it. At that point they'd have to pay over market value to keep Revis from testing the market at all.

What has this got to do with the tampering? Chicago got picks and they re-signed Briggs if your trying to make that point.

[Sperm Edwards]

Who is talking about the option,  yes it was widely assumed that a extension was going to be offered and the pats were not going to pick it up. The tampering was telling the media, that the guy that did not want him was fired and the owner wanted him back and that it was a mistake not to sign him last year. The front office then tells Mehta what the offer was going to be and he publishes it during the time when the Pats are trying to get him to sign a deal, that would make him the highest paid CB long term even though he is 4 years older than his comparables , haden, sherman and Peterson. Revis tells the pats that is now the starting point and the pats fold.

 

I was furious with Woody for his diarrhea mouth. It was like offering artillery to a wartime enemy. In the Jets' favor is what most non-Patriots fans (or team officials/memebers) probably think:

 

If Woody said nothing then things would have played out exactly the same. You guys had a chance to lock him up all season long once you saw he wasn't Tampa Revis again, and decided to get cute with it and wait until Revis no longer had any injury risk. At that point, for the last big contract of his career, Revis wasn't going to forgo testing the market. Of all the things Revis may be, stupid isn't one of them.

[patman]

Lucky guess? He is a hack who had sources years back but kept leaking info. He was run out of town. If he knew something he got it from a 3rd source, not the Jets.

but he is not going to give up the source so the league has a reason to believe it was from the jets and not a "lucky guess" 

[Sperm Edwards]

What has this got to do with the tampering? Chicago got picks and they re-signed Briggs if your trying to make that point.

It's relevant because everyone knew Revis was going to test the FA market if he was available. And Revis knew that everyone knew it. This wasn't exactly some secret, nor was NE's cap situation.

 

The whole league isn't blind and ignorant. Woody's comments were, on paper, tampering. In actuality, things would have turned out the same. NE's way out of that was to lock up a valued player more than a week before they were forced to pick up an option everyone knew they weren't picking up.

[patman]

I was furious with Woody for his diarrhea mouth. It was like offering artillery to a wartime enemy. In the Jets' favor is what most non-Patriots fans (or team officials/memebers) probably think:

 

If Woody said nothing then things would have played out exactly the same. You guys had a chance to lock him up all season long once you saw he wasn't Tampa Revis again, and decided to get cute with it and wait until Revis no longer had any injury risk. At that point, for the last big contract of his career, Revis wasn't going to forgo testing the market. Of all the things Revis may be, stupid isn't one of them.

Most likely yes, but like I said Woody removed any doubt in Revis mind, that the team that told him 10 moths ago to get lost now wanted him. If Woody would have said that he was happy that he never had to deal with revis again in this life or any other. Revis might have settled for staying with the pats and being the highest paid CB in the game for the next 3 years.  Then When Mehta leaked the Jets offer and Revis upped his demands, the pats folded.  Revis did not say one word during the season about it being a one year deal, two weeks after woody say he wants him back, Revis goes public and says that it really was a one year deal in his mind. What a coincidence!!!

[Savage69]

Most likely yes, but like I said Woody removed any doubt in Revis mind, that the team that told him 10 moths ago to get lost now wanted him. If Woody would have said that he was happy that he never had to deal with revis again in this life or any other. Revis might have settled for staying with the pats and being the highest paid CB in the game for the next 3 years.  Then When Mehta leaked the Jets offer and Revis upped his demands, the pats folded.  Revis did not say one word during the season about it being a one year deal, two weeks after woody say he wants him back, Revis goes public and says that it really was a one year deal in his mind. What a coincidence!!!

Granted not you but I know Pat fans that said from day 1 they never thought Revis was more then a 1 year rental after seeing that contract.. They also said no way would BB pay what some other teams may offer him..

[OuttaSightPF]

The NFL’s fight for truth, justice and the American way ventured into the ridiculous two days before Darrelle Revis agreed to a blockbuster deal to return to the Jets.

The league sent an investigator to the Jets facility in Florham Park, N.J., on Sunday, March 8, during the three-day “legal tampering” window before the official start of free agency to interrogate general manager Mike Maccagnan and front office personnel about the pursuit of Revis, according to sources.

Owner Woody Johnson was not interviewed.

 

The NFL’s attempt to uncover any dirt was an exercise in futility, a witch hunt driven by nonsense from a hypocritical organization with no reason to feel threatened by its competitor.

 

The Patriots levied a tampering charge against their division foes shortly after Johnson’s public admission on Dec. 29 that he’d “love for Darrelle to come back,” prompting many to wonder how serious the NFL would consider the complaint.

 

The Patriots, of course, have been the model of fair play (SpyGate), rule-abiding negotiations (landing Revis in record time after the Buccaneers cut him) and trustworthy pre-game equipment management (DeflateGate), so they naturally had every right to be concerned about the integrity of this situation.

Johnson’s comments three months ago in response to a direct question about the perennial Pro Bowler violated the NFL Anti-Tampering policy as written, but the owner’s words had nothing to do with Revis’ ultimate decision to part ways with the Super Bowl champions.

 

The Jets had the financial resources ($39 million in fully guaranteed money) and the locale (Manhattan > middle of nowhere, Mass.) that appealed to Revis. The Patriots were out of the Revis sweepstakes a full day before the Jets agreed to terms on a 5-year, $70 million deal, according to sources.

It made sense for the cornerback-needy Jets to be so aggressive to land Revis, who will turn 30 this summer.

 

“Champ (Bailey) was able to play at a very high level well into his 30s,” Maccagnan said in a conference call on Thursday. “I kind of view Darrelle in the same (way). He’s playing at a very high level. We thought he could potentially be able to play at a high level for a number of years going forward, so we thought it was worth the financial investment.”

Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick, who didn’t have the cash to keep the cornerstone of the Super Bowl-winning defense, have accomplished too much to use a silly league rule to wage an even sillier war.

 

Sure, Johnson should have refrained from his public praise for Revis, but Kraft and Belichick have been far from choir boys when it comes to this player.

Think about how Revis arrived in Foxborough in the first place.

 

The Buccaneers officially released Revis at 3:53 p.m. EDT on March 12, 2014. Less than five hours later — 8:23 pm EDT — the Patriots amazingly agreed to terms on a contract with the star cornerback. Who knew that Kraft and Belichick could broker a deal for a player with so many options in warp speed?

 

Is it possible that they negotiated the parameters of a deal with Team Revis while the cornerback was still under contract with the Buccaneers? No chance! The Patriots would never engage in such questionable tactics (insert eye roll here).

The annual NFL Scouting Combine has become a haven for league-wide tampering in the run-up to free agency. The NFL has turned a blind eye, because it’s impossible to prove without a paper/email trail that no team is dumb enough to leave.

 

Kraft is too good of an owner to be so petty. Johnson called Kraft shortly after his comments about Revis to offer a good-faith apology. The matter should have died after that December conversation, but the Patriots ratcheted up the animus between the franchises by complaining to the league.

Meanwhile, Patriots fans, draped in Super Bowl gear for the fourth time in the Brady-Belichick era, are out for blood after Revis’ departure. Like a jilted lover, these people want to exact revenge on an organization that really seems to get under their skin.

 

The Lions were nabbed for tampering in 2011 after then-defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham said he’d like to “catch” any Chiefs players who might shake loose. The NFL stripped Detroit of a seventh-round pick and swapped both team’s fifth-round picks.

 

In 2008, the 49ers were stripped of a fifth-rounder and swapped third-rounders with the Bears for tampering with linebacker Lance Briggs.

 

No matter how worked up the Patriots and their fans get, this won’t change: Revis is gone.

 

Please stop whining.

If even this Jet hater is supporting the Jets in this, hopefully the real media will follow suit.

[Sperm Edwards]

Most likely yes, but like I said Woody removed any doubt in Revis mind, that the team that told him 10 moths ago to get lost now wanted him. If Woody would have said that he was happy that he never had to deal with revis again in this life or any other. Revis might have settled for staying with the pats and being the highest paid CB in the game for the next 3 years.  Then When Mehta leaked the Jets offer and Revis upped his demands, the pats folded.  Revis did not say one word during the season about it being a one year deal, two weeks after woody say he wants him back, Revis goes public and says that it really was a one year deal in his mind. What a coincidence!!!

 

Until such time as it served other purposes, Revis would never, ever say it was a one-year deal. He had other reasons for that: keeping up the charade (for future negotiations) that he would never, ever, ever have signed (and never would sign) a contract that wasn't for at least $16M/year. Even the last Jets' contract was $32M over the first 2 and then he threatened a holdout (until it sank in he was powerless and f*cked if he did so), saying that was really the deal even though the deal clearly said otherwise in black and white plus his signature. So he would never admit he signed a 1 year show-me deal with a $4.5M discount, even though we all know that's what it was.

 

It's a little less coincidental than you're making it out, though, since by then he realized it was what it was, and NE didn't re-up him during the regular season.  So yeah Woody said what he said when he said it. It also coincided with the end of the regular season when a lot of teams would be doing their own soul-searching. For all you know he also thought Buffalo was going to get in on his bidding. It was Revis's way of self-tampering with the Pats, so they should offer him new deal done then, with 1-3 weeks left, or he's gone. 

[DaBallhawk]

http://www.csnne.com/new-england-patriots/curran-probe-jets-tampering-revis-no-witch-hunt

 

Mehta going down like a casket. Too funny. Talk about a lesson in journalism.

[Klecko73isGod]

I think the biggest problems are that we not only signed him after he hit free agency, but that Woody was given a warning one year ago for a player we ultimately didn't go after in free agency.

 

The timing of his signing (with us) I think is irrelevant; we either signed him or we didn't. In our case, we did. 

 

Hopefully for us it's just a fine for Woody, with Goodell realizing Revis was always going to test the waters in the last and most lucrative FA opportunity of his career.

 

An owner answering a direct question should not be tampering. 

[patman]

Granted not you but I know Pat fans that said from day 1 they never thought Revis was more then a 1 year rental after seeing that contract.. They also said no way would BB pay what some other teams may offer him..

"No one" thought that he was going to play for 20 mill. That figure was just there as a sword over the negotiations, Pointed at revis to sign a long term deal or risk injury/performance issues and at the pats  as he could wreck the cap.  And yes, the pats would not have matched the highest paid offer for him, they don't do that, what they hoped for was that by finally being on a SB winning team, he would be happy playing for that team and being the highest paid corner in the game for which they planned on making him.

 

It is a patriot fan perspective that as long as his first choice team, the jets were not a part of the competition for his services as when they told him to get lost 9 months earlier that they believed he would stay with the pats. Woody blew that scenario to the heavens, when he said that not bringing revis back was one of the mistakes Idzik made last year andthat if he could do over he would want him back and even said that the money/contract that he signed with NE was fine by him .  Once Revis knew the welcome wagon was out, the chances on him just being the highest paid was out the door. When Mehta announced that the jets offer was going to be 3 and 48, 25% more than Sherman at 12.75M Revis then changed his demands to that being the starting point. the pats then folded.

[patman]

An owner answering a direct question should not be tampering. 

Whether we think it should or should not be, it is and it is written just so.  I don't think having cameras on the sideline  is any worse than having them in the stands 25 yards further away. But We know how that turned out.

[Klecko73isGod]

Whether we thing it should or should not be, it is and is is written just so.  I don't think having cameras on the sideline  is any worse than having them in the stands 25 yards further away. But We know how that turned out.

 

Oh for ****'s sake. For the eleventy billionth time, THE LOCATION OF THE ******* CAMERAS IS NOT WHAT THE PATS WERE PUNISHED FOR AND YOU ******* KNOW IT. 

[patman]

Oh for ****'s sake. For the eleventy billionth time, THE LOCATION OF THE ******* CAMERAS IS NOT WHAT THE PATS WERE PUNISHED FOR AND YOU ******* KNOW IT. 

No, they were punished for filming the opposing team's sidelines from an area of the field where the film would be accessible to the coaching staff during the game. That is the rule, you can not film from anywhere on the sidelines.  If they filmed it from the stands, it would not have been accessible and no rules would have been broken.   If you think they were punsihed for something else, please point out the chapter and verse.

[Savage69]

No, they were punished for filming the opposing team's sidelines from an area of the field where the film would be accessible to the coaching staff during the game. That is the rule, you can not film from anywhere on the sidelines.  If they filmed it from the stands, it would not have been accessible and no rules would have been broken.   If you think they were punsihed for something else, please point out the chapter and verse.

While we are at it do you think Aaron Hernandez is being wrongly accused?? 

[patman]

While we are at it do you think Aaron Hernandez is being wrongly accused?? 

No, but I was mad when the pats cut him before the NFL did in a PR move that cost over 5mill is cap charges. If the NFL suspended him, the pats could have went after the SB, instead they cut him and kissed off money that could have made the team better.   While they were applauded for it, i thought it was stupid. 

[patman]

Oh for ****'s sake. For the eleventy billionth time, THE LOCATION OF THE ******* CAMERAS IS NOT WHAT THE PATS WERE PUNISHED FOR AND YOU ******* KNOW IT. 

Oh and by the way "spygate" the guy had a full size professional VCR camera that weighed 35 lbs and had a batter pack and was wearing a patriot windbreaker.  "Spy" gate.   you could not have been more obvious.  At least the other teams knew it was going on. 

[Larz]

The NFL’s attempt to uncover any dirt was an exercise in futility, a witch hunt driven by nonsense from a hypocritical organization 

 

 

mehta using his troll powers for good !!!

 

lololololol

 

 

 

[PFSIKH]

They could have offered him a Revis market contract extension in week 8. You think there's some reason they couldn't? 

 

Revis is also smart enough to know if an offer is on the table and you don't have to risk a serious injury, then take it. It's why he held out all summer for his prior Jets deal, and he surely realizes how lucky he got (that Tampa anted up at the last minute) after missing a whole season to his knee injury. If he'd sustained the same or similar injury again between week 9 and the superbowl it would cost him tens of millions of dollars he'd never be able to recover.

 

That's absolutely right: I think if NE offered him in week 8 what they (allegedly) offered him ~10 days ago, Revis would have grabbed it. It's what he gambled on by taking "only" $11.5M in 2014. He went to NE to show he was fully healed and show the world what a stud CB could do for an otherwise also-ran. He bet on himself and he won big time.

 

If NE truly wanted him to come back and was truly willing to pay (and guarantee) him close to what the Jets gave, as Kraft alleges, then they f*cked up badly by waiting until March to first address it. At that point they'd have to pay over market value to keep Revis from testing the market at all.

 

There are a few layers to it.

 

Did they want him?  Of course they did.  He was as valuable to the defense as Brady is to the offense.  He makes it sooo much better.

 

Could they have paid a fair market value last year?  If I remember correctly, I think they had a few million available.  In the end I think this was the point that sealed him leaving after his love for NY and money.  While I think the Patriots got close, I doubt it was 39 guaranteed in the first three year.  It was likely a structured one where he got so much every year.

 

While I agree with your point about him not wanting to risk injury, I think if push came down to shove, he would gamble on Revis becoming a FA at the end of the year.