Analysis: Patriots sign CB Darrelle Revis to 1-year, $12-million deal
Earlier Wednesday I spent the afternoon getting a little nostalgic, and looking back on how we arrived at the point that Darrelle Revis, arguably the best cornerback in football, could be eternally nomadic. The solution to that problem is a market correction. That's simple enough, yet endlessly complicated because Revis is the sort who views his talent as forever escalating, and therefore so is his price.
So the solution it seems is no solution, and to just give Revis what he wants: one-year deals until the end of time. Bill Belichick was happy to grant that wish.
Hours after he was inevitably released from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Revis agreed to a one-year contract with the New England Patriots worth $12 million. It's a contract that immediately makes him the league's highest-paid cornerback based on yearly salary.
1. Darrelle Revis: $12 million
2. Brandon Carr: $10 million
3. Leon Hall: $9.75 million
4. Johnathan Joseph: $9.75 million
5. Sam Shields: $9.75 million
6. Vontae Davis: $9.75 million
Revis' figure is more reasonable this time, and represents a $4-million pay cut from the contract Tampa wiggled out from. What we learned on Wednesday then is this: happiness with Revis can only be achieved one year at a time. He gets rich for a season while still betting on himself and hitting the market again after increasing his value a year from now, and the Patriots get elite cornerback play for one season, and a short-term replacement for Aqib Talib. Everybody wins?
This was the ultimate counterstrike in the AFC arms race against the Denver Broncos, who loaded up with Talib and T.J. Ward, along with DeMarcus Ware. Revis is an upgrade over Talib, which is really saying something considering the season he had, which included shutting down Jimmy Graham and allowing a 30.8 passer rating over the first six weeks of the season. Now the Patriots can pair Revis with two-time All Pro Devin McCourty in their defensive backfield, and a returning Vince Wilfork up front is an addition of another kind.
We also learned Wednesday that Revis is capable of finding an agreeable compromise, which is truly a new frontier.