The man who claims he had no role in the decision to trade for quarterback Tim Tebow is now reportedly pulling the strings on a trade for cornerback Darrelle Revis.
Jets owner Woody Johnson, who apparently doesn’t want to be perceived a meddler, definitely isn’t afraid to meddle.
Otherwise, Johnson wouldn’t want anything when it comes to Tebow, Revis, or any other player other than what the employees he has hired to handle football matters want. If new G.M. John Idzik decides it makes sense to move Revis as he enters the final year of a contract that will void if Revis is on the roster the day after next year’s Super Bowl, then that’s what Woody should want. If Idzik decides otherwise, that’s what Woody should want.
Are we still surprised they couldn’t give the job away?
A trade during the offseason won’t be easy. Revis is recovering from a torn ACL. There’s no way to know whether he’ll be the same guy that he was until he’s back on the field. While Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was better than ever after an ACL tear, Ravens cornerback Domonique Foxworth never was the same again -- and ultimately retired.
If the goal is maximizing the return, the Jets should keep working Revis back to 100 percent, hope he comes back as good (or better) than ever, then dangle him before the trade deadline during the 2013 season to a contending team. Of course, that approach could create an unwanted in-season distraction, especially if the Jets end up being better than expected next year.
The problem is that, now that the cat is reportedly out of the bag, Revis and his agents will look for clarity from the Jets. And anyone who trades for him won’t want to give what the Jets will want without protection against Revis walking away next February.
Then there’s the cap hit. While the Jets would avoid $6 million that is owed to Revis in 2013 ($3 million base salary, $1 million reporting bonus, $1 million roster bonus, $1 million workout bonus), they’ll carry a $3 million charge for his 2011 option bonus and absorb a $6 million cap acceleration if he is traded before June 1.
In other words, for a pre-June 1 trade, he’ll cost $9 million against the cap whether he’s on the team or not.
After June 1, the cap hit would drop to $3 million in 2013, with another $6 million applying to the cap in 2014.
There’s no easy solution to this one, especially now that the plans are supposedly known. At least it will add some spice to Idzik’s introductory press conference, which has been scheduled for Thursday morning.
Maybe he’ll make like Rex and hop a plane to the Bahamas instead. With an owner who seems to want to be the G.M., it would be hard to blame Idzik.
