Reasons National Media Is Nuts and Jets Would Be Smart to Move Darrelle Revis

By now you've probably heard the news; the Jets are exploring trading their All-Pro cornerback.

The reaction new GM John Idzik received was mostly negative as Jet fans around the country are up in arms with the thought of losing the best player the franchise has seen in decades, maybe ever.

It seems just about every team in the league is interested in Revis, so why in the world would the Jets want to get rid of him?

Here's why.

The Jets Aren't Built to Win Now

If any Jets' fan thinks that this team is a playoff contender, then they are severely mistaken.

Lets be honest, they don't have a single serviceable quarterback on the roster. Could Mark Sanchez be a half decent quarterback? I believe yes, but not in New York.

Sanchez's relationship with the fans has eroded so much that there is no chance he can start for this team in 2013. Before the season even started, Sanchez's future with the Jets was doomed to fail when they irresponsibly traded for Tim Tebow.

Kyle Orton wasn't playing horribly in Denver when he was benched, but pressure from the fanbase caused the switch and his ultimate departure from the Mile High City. Why the Jets didn't take that into consideration before the fact is beyond me, especially when they were trying to develop Sanchez as their franchise quarterback.

The only thing the Jets were considering in that deal was money. Money from selling jerseys, posters, Fatheads, and anything else they could stamp Tebow's face on. The Jets didn't want Tebow for his football talents, they wanted him for his marketing skills.

They should have focused on their on-field product rather creating a buzz, that would have translated to more money. Instead Woody Johnson had to buy back 12,000 unsold tickets because the team he and his brain-trust put on the field was on the verge of being blacked out in the New York Metro area.

Now, there are holes all over their roster.

For years, the Jets right tackle has been a turnstile for defensive ends, yet the Jets have negligently ignored the need for one.

How about drafting a tackle in the draft or signing one instead of stubbornly bringing back the worst tackle in the league, then admitting defeat a week prior to the start of the season and swapping him for a proven draft bust?

Their linebackers are old and slow, they still can't generate any semblance of a pass rush, and their running game is in shambles. Shonn Greene is not the answer, unless you want an un-athletic back who runs two yards into the back of his guards then falls down for a gain of three. I think they may have something in Bilal Powell but for him to play, Greene has to go.

Their receiving corps were decimated by year's end, showing the true depth of the Jets and their ability to judge talent. The albatross, known as Santonio Holmes' contract, is going nowhere soon so improving here is going to be mainly on player progression.

Why then would the Jets want to sink all that money into one player when instead they should be rebuilding?

Re-Signing Revis Will Cost Too Much

Here's a breakdown of Revis's current contract. Word is that he is going to want around $100 million in his next contract, double what his previous one paid him.

Paying $100 million for a cornerback? No way. Especially for a team that is $19 million over the cap as we speak.

Let's just say that he gets a similar contract to Mario Williams (as reported in the New York Post article above and here). A contract worth $100 million over six years is a little over $16 million a year. The Jets' salary cap limit was $130 million last year, meaning a new contract for Revis would eat up about 12.3 percent of the cap (assuming a straight-line contract).

That means you have 87.7 percent left for 52 other players, before you factor in the atrocious contracts of Mark Sanchez, Santonio Holmes, Antonio Cromartie and David Harris.

If you want to see the magnificent position Mike Tannebaum put the Jets in, here's their projected 2014 salary cap.

Let's just say the Jets do sign Revis for $16 million a year, combine that number with the four guys mentioned above and you have $57.6 million locked up in five guys. Talk about no depth.

The Jets' Secondary Held Up Well in Revis' Absence

People pretty much gave the Jets a death sentence after Revis went down (I did before that, but that's another story). The fact is, their secondary actually held up pretty well in his absence.

Antonio Cromartie stepped in beautifully for Revis, by no means playing up to Revis' standard but playing well regardless. LaRon Landry was elected to the Pro Bowl, along with Cromartie, after he had a really good first, and only, season with the Jets.

Overall the Jets were second in opposing passing yards allowed, playing 14 out of the 16 games without Revis. So did the Jets really miss him?

Of course they did, but not as much as some people think. Yes, opposing teams didn't have to throw as much because the Jets' run defense was so poor and their offense gave the opponent short fields much of the time, but the facts speak for themselves.

Having Kyle Wilson as a No. 2 corner is a scary thought, but there are other options. While none of them will be that cheap, they will be compared to Revis, relatively speaking.

Sign one of those guys for the No. 2 spot, move Wilson to nickel (where he can't screw up too much), and sign a safety with the money you save by not signing Revis.

Now you fill two holes instead of one.

The Jets Need a Fresh Start

Ideally for Jet fans, all three of the men in this picture would have been gone this year. Each one contributed to the abysmal state the franchise is in right now, some more than others.

Mike Tannebaum orchestrated some of the worst contracts in the league, three of them in the past two years. There is no way David Harris should be the second highest paid defensive player in the league, yet here we are. 

I was always an advocate of the Jets signing Braylon Edwards over Santonio Holmes when both were up for free agency. Edwards was much cheaper, more of a team player, and seemed to really like playing for the Jets.

Holmes had a troubled history, was undersized for a No. 1 receiver, and was a locker room cancer (culminating in his 2011 late season temper tantrum). Even so, the Jets signed him to a five-year, $45 million deal.

Then there is Sanchez. After flirting with Peyton Manning all off-season, the Jets decided to give Mark Sanchez a $40.5 million contract extension for no apparent reason. They say it wasn't to make up for going after Manning, but we saw the writing on the wall.

So in the end, after all these bad contracts, a seemingly undisciplined locker room, all the bluster and none of the promised results; the Jets need a new start.

If that means trading Revis, so be it. Ride all these bad contracts out, get a few draft picks in return for the best corner in the game, and turn the page on an ugly era.

The Jets Can't Keep Everybody

Jet fans have not reacted well at all to the prospect of losing Revis, but they should really reconsider it. I will admit, my first reaction was similar to what many are feeling now, but after taking a step back, I came to the conclusion trading Darrelle Revis is the best move for the future of this franchise.

Revis is only 27 but if the Jets re-sign him, they will be paying a 35 year old corner inordinate sums of money in seven years (he'll be 29 when he hits free agency next year and this is assuming a six-year deal). No one knows how he is going to come back from ACL surgery, either.

People just expect it's nothing after what Adrian Peterson did last year, but it is still one of the most devastating injuries in all of sports. The fact that the Jets could get a first-round pick out of trading a player with a potentially bum knee is quite amazing.

As is, there is not much wiggle room with current financial state of the Jets, some players are going to have to go. Sanchez and Holmes are untradable, so no value with come of parting ways with them. Cutting Bart Scott or Calvin Pace may help this year, but it has no effect on them long-term.

What it comes down to is who can the Jets get rid of that will net them the largest return?

In this case, it's Revis.