The New York Jets are in the process of determining whether to trade star cornerback Darrelle Revis this offseason and even if they do, they still will have to pay him some money, as a clause in his contract paid him a $1 million roster bonus on Sunday.
According to ESPNNewYork.com, Revis earned a $1 million roster bonus on Saturday as part of his contract and he now has been paid $56 million by the Jets in his six-year career with the team. The report says that Revis will not collect the money until later this year, but it is guaranteed and also will count against the salary cap for the Jets, even if he is eventually traded.
The Jets may have wanted to avoid the bonus by trading him before the deadline, but they could not work out a deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, although conversations are still ongoing. The Revis trade rumors have gone from the San Francisco 49ers to the Atlanta Falcons before falling to the Buccaneers, but reports say that it hangs on compensation, including whether to add this year's first round draft pick.
The Buccaneers need to greatly improve their pass defense after ranking in the bottom five of the league and they are a bit weak at the position of cornerback after trading Aqib Talib and getting a disappointing year from Eric Wright. The team signed Dashon Goldson to a long-term deal and could look to add Revis to strengthen the secondary for quarterbacks in their division like Matt Ryan, Cam Newton and Drew Brees.
Revis has a number of bonuses still coming up, meaning that if the Jets are actively trying to deal him, they may want to do it before those kick in. According to the report, Revis would have a cap hit in 2013 if he is traded before June 1 of $13 million and if it is after June 1 but before training camp, it will be $5 million. Revis is due a workout bonus of one million in June and reporting bonus of the same number in July.
The current cap charge for Revis is $9 million and if he is traded after the start of training camp it would be $6 million for the 2013 season. Last year Revis was injured and missed nearly the entire season after suffering a serious knee injury against the Miami Dolphins. He recorded just 11 tackles and made one interception before going down. Even without him, the Jets ranked in the top 10 in passing yards allowed per game in the league.
The trade to the Buccaneers could pick up steam next week, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported that the deal could start moving forward when the owners have a meeting next week.
"New York is trying to get a first-round pick as part of the compensation," La Canfora wrote, "and the sides could get creative in how they structure the deal, with provisions that would elevate a future draft pick based on Revis' production."
Revis is set to make $6 million this season, but he has reportedly wanted to be the highest-paid defensive player in the league. Revis is rehabbing from an ACL injury and some teams may want to see if he is back to full form before trading for him.
The Jets have played both sides of the fence on the trade, saying that he is a valuable player, but that they also would listen to deals for him. His representatives have been at odds with the Jets and his contract demands could be hanging up any deal.
