With the 2010 season just about to start and the fact that Darrelle Revis [@Revis24] has missed the entire training camp, his holdout has gone from a funny story line in Hard Knocks to the possibility that Revis may never wear the Gang Green ever again! Yes, I’ll say it again. It is looking like Darrelle Revis MAY NEVER play for the New York Jets EVER again!
I wasn’t too worried about the Jets not signing the holdout Revis because these things work themselves out, usually in the last couple of weeks before the regular season. I truly believe the Jets screwed the pooch by going public and declaring to the world that Darrelle Revis is the best player in the NFL. That put all the leverage and attention on Darrelle and the only way to get out of that statement was to pay him like the best player in the NFL.
The Waiting Game Photo Credit: Neil Miller
The Jets then put their foot in their mouth by not holding up to that “promise”. I truly believe that if Rex didn’t say publicly that Revis was the greatest and the Jets didn’t say that they were going to sign him long term Revis would be getting ready for the new season WITH a new contract in place. If they did all this behind closed doors, both Revis and the Jets would be in a long term “happy” marriage.
If you were Revis and had a pretty good idea that your value isn’t going down anytime soon (there’s plenty of proof of that around the NFL) and you no longer had faith in the Jets, would you ever play for them again? Is that the kind of professional, working marriage you’d want to get into?
Adding to the complexity of this mess, we know the story of his uncle, DT Sean Gilbert, holding out and sat out the entire 1997 season with the Washington Redskins. He NEVER put on the Redskins uniform again as he signed with the Carolina Panthers the following year. If Revis were to follow the same strategy, he wouldn’t be able to do that for the 2011 season. In fact, he has three years left in his contract and with talks of a lock out next year, it’s going to be a LONG time before Revis plays football again, at least in the NFL.
CHARLOTTE, NC – SEPTEMBER 8: Sean Gilbert #94 of the Carolina Panthers looks on during the game against the Baltimore Ravens on September 8, 2002 at Ericsson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers defeated the Ravens 10-7. (Photo by Craig Jones/Getty Images) Original Filename: 1380277.jpg
Time was running out, but Charley Casserly never believed in his heart that Sean Gilbert would do the unthinkable.
Gilbert, the talented Redskins defensive tackle, wanted to get paid. Casserly wanted to pay him, but the start of the season was fast approaching with no deal in sight.
They never came to an agreement and Gilbert sat out the entire 1997 season.
Thirteen years later, Darrelle Revis‘ training-camp holdout looks similar to the one his uncle staged. Gilbert, one of the major influences in Revis’ life, eventually was traded to the Panthers in 1998 for two first-round picks and signed a seven-year, $46.5 million deal.
“If you’re good enough and you sit out, you’re still going to make a lot of money the next year,” said Casserly, then Washington’s general manager. “I think that’s where (Revis’) mindset is: What am I risking? One million dollars? I’m still going to be paid.”
Read More – NY Daily News
Even Revis’ grandmother has gotten into the fold by talking with ESPN’s Cimini:
This grandma knows the business of the NFL, and it bothers her that Darrelle isn’t playing football with the season less than two weeks away.
“Darrelle does what he does because he loves it,” she said, sitting at her dining-room table. “For this to be happening to him, it’s almost like a slap in the face, because he’s not appreciated.
So much for the gag order. Revis’ agents and the Jets agreed last month not to discuss the negotiations publicly, but does that include grandparents?
“I know he wants to play, but Darrelle understands contract negotiations,” she said, wearing the local school’s colors — an orange Aliquippa High T-shirt. “Some players don’t get it, but Darrelle can read a contract. I think he’s comfortable with his decision [to hold out] because he knows what he was told by the Jets and he knows what he’s worth
“People are trying to portray him as greedy, but he has outperformed his contract,” she continued. “For them to put him in this position is just unreal.”
It looks like Revis is digging in for the long haul and the Jets and Darrelle seem as far apart from settling this and bringing the CB back to the Jets.
Do you think Darrelle Revis will play another game with the New York Jets? At this point in the holdout, do you want him back? How do you feel about Revis now? Is it the same when he first started his hold out?
Related Posts:
- Is There a Lack of Discipline and Leadership on the Jets?
- Video: Jets Fan At Hofstra Practice Fills in for Revis
- Fanhouse: Revis and the Jets are ‘Almost There’ on New Deal
- Jets Players Use Three Approaches For Getting Contract Extensions
- Cowlishaw Sticking to His Guns on Revis Signing
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