Where The Cash At?!?

The high-profile holdout of Darrelle Revis has reached its 11th day. According to the various reports and media posturing, it doesn't seem to be nowhere near a conclusion. I can understand Revis' point of view. According to USATODAY.com, Revis's 2009 base salary wasn't even in the top 50 for DBs, and he only ranked 14th in overall salary (including performance bonuses, signing bonuses, etc). The other DBs on the total salary list above Revis are good, but not on the level of Revis. You can't convince me Chris Gamble or Dunta Robinson are better than him. Look at the tape. So in a nutshell, Darrelle Revis is vastly underpaid.

After just 3 seasons in the NFL, Revis has proven himself to be arguably the best cornerback int he NFL (the Raiders Nnamdi Asomugha and veteran Charles Woodson also gets some votes). Many will say that he should play out his rookie contract since that's the one he signed initially. But from a business point of view, you have every right to renegotiate an agreement, especially if both sides agree you have clearly outperformed your current deal. In lay person's terms that's called seeking a raise. But at the same time, there are better ways to go about seeking that raise...

Holdouts are common in today's NFL. They usually play out quietly but sometimes they can drag out into the regular season (see Michael Crabtree). But rarely are holdouts this publicly exploited. Maybe it's due to the Jets being on HBO's Hard Knocks? Who knows. But I can't remember the last time I heard a GM or Owner publicly stating that the chances of a player that is holding out and being with the team as "very slim". Personally I think it was a tasteless negotiation tactic. But that's just my opinion. Reportedly the Jets have offered 10 yrs/$120 mil overall. Revis' camp is reportedly seeking somewhere in the range of $16 mil per season, which would make him the highest paid corner, above Asomugha. My take is (as usual) "Get ya' money!"... but I think his camp should soften his stance a little. Take a small raise this season, go out and prove that you're worth the big bucks again, then re-negotiate in the off-season (just as Chris Johnson did this summer). That way everyone wins, right?

And for the people that complain that athletes make to much money these days; imagine how much money the owners are raking in from those same players performances. Someone has to sign the players'checks, and I'm damn sure the checks the owners are cashing more than dwarf any player's salary.

Now take that to the bank.

-ALR