Darrelle Revis Is Just as Greedy as He Should Be

Darrelle Revis is a mercenary. That's what people say.

All he cares about is the cash. Captain Money Grab.

Knock, knock.

Who's there?

Da Hell?

Da Hell who?

Da Hell, Darrelle, leave some money for the rest of us.

You've heard it. You'll hear it. Darrelle Revis is greedy, selfish, only cares about winning if he can also get paid, and did I mention greedy?

Well, good. Good for him. What Revis did was work the system with ruthless efficiency, the way owners do when they make money. The way coaches do when they get paid. The way networks do when they charge $8 million for a 60-second Super Bowl ad. The way teams do when they charge $6 for a damn hot dog.

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

Everyone gets paid. Many people are selfish. Capitalism is extremely American, and no football player, maybe in history, has both understood and capitalized on his value more than Revis. Good for him. Good. For. Him.

I wish all NFL players were as financially ruthless as Revis. If they were, if they had his business acumen, NFL players would have guaranteed contracts. They'd fight harder for their self-worth instead of crumbling at the bargaining table during negotiations with the owners.

A source close to Revis says he signed a five-year deal worth $70 million. The first three years of that deal are guaranteed at $39 million. Is that a lot of money? Hell yeah, it is. Revis is worth it. He's one of the most transformative defensive players of his generation. In an era of rigged football when offenses are legislated untouchable by the NFL, it is a handful of players like Revis who through sheer will and intelligence act as counteragents.

Revis has earned over $85 million, according to Spotrac. With this deal, he could surpass $150 million.

And?

There is something else. Every player deserves every penny they get, because we now know just exactly what football players are enduring when playing this so-called game.

If you want to know why Revis deserves the money, think back to Mike Webster, who was a shell of himself after a career of concussions. He became the first diagnosed case of CTE. Think of Dave Duerson, the Chicago Bear who shot himself in the chest, leaving his brain to be preserved for scientific study. He also was diagnosed post-death with CTE. The same with Junior Seau.

There are so many others. So, so many.

We know what football does to the mind now. It's no longer deniable. It's fact.

The NFL admitted in court documents recently that one-third of its players will suffer from severe brain trauma at notably younger ages because of football. The NFL admitted this.

"Thus, our assumptions result in prevalence rates by age group that are materially higher than those expected in the general population," said the transcripts, first reported in The New York Times. "Furthermore, the model forecasts that players will develop these diagnoses at notably younger ages than the generation population."

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

So every time a player fights for a deal or gets big money, he isn't being greedy. Or maybe he is. It doesn't matter. He's allowed to fight because it's very possible he will suffer from painful and debilitating illnesses far earlier than his non-football-playing peers.

Not asking anyone to feel sorry for NFL players. They don't want sympathy. They do want to make as much money as possible, and there's nothing wrong with that.

This will be the last big paycheck Revis will get, and at some point, he will enter the Hall of Fame. He's probably one of the top five corners to ever play the position. He's that good. What makes him special are almost unmatched study habits and a unique smartness few players of his generation possess.

This is what allows him to get paid, large sums, each time he's a free agent.

And good for him.

Mike Freeman covers the NFL for Bleacher Report.