Tom Brady’s New Contract Opens Possibility for Darrelle Revis trade to Patriots
Aug 26, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis (24) during the second half of their game against the Carolina Panthers at MetLife Stadium. The Panthers defeated the Jets 17-12. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Tom Brady has been known for his clutch performances over the years, but he’s taken this to an even higher level. He renegotiated his contract and has saved the New England Patriots $15 million over the next two seasons. For this off-season the Patriots are at least $19.4 million under the salary cap, with as much as $25 million to spend.
The Patriots have to be aggressive with the extra money they have acquired via Brady’s new deal. This wouldn”t be the first time that they’ve not done anything with the extra cash that they have. There are plenty of different options they have to to choose from with the new money they’ve acquired. This means they have to be aggressive and pursue several trade options. One thing that comes to mind is a upgrade in the secondary if they can’t come to terms with Aqib Talib on a new deal.
Darrelle Revis is presumably out of the question.
The Conventional wisdom dictates that the New York Jets will trade him anywhere other than New England. Forking over one of the best corner-backs of his generation to a division foe who just happens to have a glaring need at that position would not only alienate their entire fan base, it would all but clinch another Super Bowl run for the Patriots.
However, the Jets haven’t been conventional as of late and are very unpredictable.
Darelle Revis’s contract expires at the end of the 14′ season which is a main reason the Jets are trying to move him somewhere else as soon as possible. Nobody at the NFL combine was interested in trading for him and the fact that he’s coming off a knee injury sure didn’t help their case.
Most NFL teams will back away from trading for him because they would be afraid of the fact that he would bolt for free agency at the end of the season.
This is the main reason the Patriots may actually have a chance, albeit a slim one to pull another rabbit out of the hat and land the only player who could fix their biggest weakness.
The question isn’t if the Patriots can keep up due to money issues because they know have the cap room to do that. The real question is whether or not they can persuade the Jets to make such a move.
Considering what appears to be a incredibly soft market for defensive backs, the Jets would have to at least consider such a move if the Patriots pull a Godfather and make them an offer they can’t refuse. In this case, that likely means trading away a first-round pick in each of the next two drafts. That sounds like a lot, but New England picks 29th overall this year and with Revis on board may very well end up picking 32nd next year.
Belichick has show a willingness to trade for big time impact players in the past, this wouldn’t be anything new.
Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Corey Dillion all arived in New England in exchange for picks. If Belichick really wants someone he’ll do whatever is necessary to get that player. We saw this last April, when he traded up in the first round not once but twice last year to select Chandler Jones and Dont’a Hightower.
While this scenario may seem unlikely it is far from impossible to happen. The extension Brady made also makes back quarterback
Aug 20, 2012; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Ryan Mallett (15) on the sideline as they take on the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half of the preseason game at Gillette Stadium. The Eagles defeated the Patriots 27-17. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Ryan Mallett more expendable than ever.
Mallett was once considered a top QB prospect in the draft class featuring future franchise players Cam Newton, Colin Kaepernick and Andy Dalton. He fell into the Patriots’ laps with the 74th pick in 2011 thanks to attitude concerns and allegations of drug use.
With the lack of quality free-agent QBs, Alex Smith no longer on the trading block and a weak draft class, he could be an attractive trade target for the Jets, who desperately need to move on from Mark Sanchez.