The never ending trade saga between the New York Jets and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with Darrelle Revis in the middle, hoping to cash in on the situation eventually, continues. This time, it’s the Jets asking for too many draft picks once again, for now and the future. With time to get Revis through medicals before the draft pretty much having run out, it’s hard to say where this one goes.
Everyone knows the Jets’ main objective – taking Revis off their salary cap and getting as many draft picks as possible for him. They want the number one pick the Bucs have this season (number 13), and they would also like to have a third and fifth round pick to improve the the trade package, although it isn’t clear if they’re going for a 2013 pick or 2014. In any case, the price seems a little bit too high for the Bucs.
Why? Because Revis is coming off an ACL surgery, and while being cleared to run in workouts recently, there’s no way he’s coming on board without going through about a week of medical exams, which means they need a week before the draft to decide if he’s healthy enough to join.
The other issue is supply and demand. The Buccaneers are the only team with the need for a corner and the ability to pay him the kind of money he’s expecting to see on his next deal – $15 million per season, making him the highest paid defensive player in the NFL. As of now, the combination of the cap hit they’ll have to take and the draft picks they’ll be giving up on is a bit too much for Tampa, who know they’re pretty much the only thing the Jets have at the moment.
Whether that changes and lowers the demands coming from New York remains to be seen, and probably depends on how much the Jets are willing to go through another off-season of holdouts and problems from the talented cornerback.