A tour-de-force

New Jersey – A reporter was able to uncover some private matters from One Jets Drive, and was able to provide some insight on Woody Johnson’s mindset about bringing back Darrelle Revis back . . .

“Woody Johnson is positioned to pull off a coup by bringing back a defensive force that will bolster his wayward franchise,” wrote Manish Mehta for the Daily News. “The Daily News has learned that Johnson has been involved in serious internal discussions with Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan to make a push for perennial All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis if/when he becomes a free agent next week.”

This is damn good reporting.

To be able to find out about Jets “internal discussions,” is a reporter doing his job on a high level.

There is no way the New England Patriots are going to pay Revis the $20 million option bonus he is owned on March 9.

You know why he got that number?

Because the Revis’ camp is obsessed with the $16 million-a-year figure, the number that made him the highest paid corner in football with Tampa Bay.

He probably plays that number in roulette.

So with the $12 million he made last year, and that $20 million number in 2015, he averaged $16 million.

And surely that is what he’s going to want in the open market. That is his magic number.

This idea that he wants to stay with the Patriots to keep going for rings is nonsense.

He’s going to go where they show him the most money.

Especially, since he has a ring. Most veterans, once they have a ring, they are looking to play where they get paid the most. Justin Tuck and James Jones going to Oakland are perfect examples of that.

There is no way Revis is taking a discount with New England. No way.

And he is the biggest client of Schwartz and Feinsod agency. They will probably never have a client of his magnitude ever again. They are going to get as much as possible, and perhaps pitting the Bills against the Jets can accomplish that.

The Bills now have an owner worth $5 billion, and a coach in Rex Ryan who loves Revis.

Would Revis want to play in Buffalo? A lot of players don’t want to.

Revis would play in Siberia if that is where the best offer came from.

So where did Mehta get this great info?

It’s fair to assume that Schwartz/Feinsod are the chief suspects.

What those agents like to do is negotiate in the media. What they have done in the past, with this strategy, is put public pressure on Johnson.

This story seems like another example of that.

But one thing about Johnson, vis-à-vis Revis – his position last off-season was that he would pay Revis, but pay him market value. He doesn’t want to be taken advantage of, and be forced into overpaying because his team has been bad in recent years.

So often struggling programs needs to overpay to get free agents. Johnson refused to do that last off-season. I get the sense he would have paid Revis $12 million last year, like New England did.

You have to respect Johnson’s position.

It’s bad business to overpay because your team has struggled.

You should pay market value.

And Jets should not fall into the Schwartz/Feinsod trap, based on games they will play in the presss, something they are very good at.

March 3, 2015

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