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09/06/10 01:50:00
Printable Page
09/06 01:44 CDT Revis, Jets agree to terms on 4-year deal
Revis, Jets agree to terms on 4-year deal
By DENNIS WASZAK Jr.
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- Darrelle Revis is ending his holdout and joining his teammates
for what they hope is a Super Bowl run.
The All-Pro cornerback and the New York Jets agreed in principle to a four-year
contract Sunday night, reaching a deal a week before the team's season opener.
The Jets wouldn't disclose financial terms, but the Daily News reported it was
worth $46 million, including $32 million guaranteed.
"Barring something unforeseen, we expect Darrelle to be here (Monday)," general
manager Mike Tannenbaum said during a conference call early Monday morning.
Revis planned to fly from his home in South Florida to New Jersey on Monday,
and is expected to finalize the deal and end a 36-day holdout.
"This is an intermediate step to what we hope is an entire career of Darrelle
as a Jet," Tannenbaum said, "for him to retire a Jet, for him to hopefully go
to the Hall of Fame one day as a Jet and for him to be in our ring of honor."
Revis, who made no public statements about the sometimes acrimonious
negotiations since minicamp in June, used his Twitter account to thank his
family and agents, Neil Schwartz and Jonathan Feinsod.
"To my family, neil, & john I love u guys I'm comin home baby!!!" Revis wrote.
"Revis Island LET'S GO."
Both owner Woody Johnson and coach Rex Ryan flew down to South Florida on
Saturday and met with Revis, mother Diana Gilbert, and uncle and former NFL
player Sean Gilbert over the weekend to try to help get a deal done.
"I think that was an important step in the process, but there was still
obviously more work to be done," Tannenbaum said. "We spent all day looking at
it and probably about (11 p.m. Sunday), we made a very significant breakthrough
to finding a landing spot that was good for both sides."
Ryan was scheduled to have a conference call with reporters Saturday night to
discuss the Jets' roster cutdown, but Tannenbaum handled it instead. A team
spokesman said Ryan was unavailable because he was at an "appointment."
That turned out to be a visit with the man whom Ryan has repeatedly called the
best cornerback in the NFL.
The new contract means Revis will likely be back on the field in time for the
opener next Monday night against Baltimore at the New Meadowlands Stadium.
"That'll be Rex's call," Tannenbaum said.
The general manager said he "had no idea" what corresponding roster move the
Jets would make once Revis was signed, sealed and delivered.
"I'm sure Rex will be able to figure out what to do to get Darrelle on the
team," Tannenbaum quipped.
Revis' holdout began Aug. 1, when the team reported for training camp in
Cortland. Tannenbaum said the nearly $600,000 in fines Revis accrued for
sitting out would be handled internally by the team.
He was scheduled to make $1 million in the fourth year of his six-year rookie
deal, but said he wanted to become the league's highest-paid cornerback. While
he didn't get that this time around, he's getting the guaranteed money he
sought during negotiations over the last several months. With NFL Films cameras
following the Jets all summer for HBO's "Hard Knocks" series, Revis' holdout
was a major story line without him ever appearing in an episode.
He'll certainly be a major focus in Wednesday night's series finale, especially
since Tannenbaum acknowledged he wasn't sure the deal would ever get done and
said the Jets looked into trades over the weekend for other cornerbacks.
"This was one of those things where I really wasn't optimistic," Tannenbaum
said. "I really wasn't. I'm an optimist by nature, but this was really hard.
There was a lot of heavy lifting, a lot of work put into it."
Since early August, the team and Revis' agents agreed to keep all negotiations
confidential after things got testy through the media.
There were some accusations made by both sides, with Johnson saying he was
"rebuffed" by Revis' agents when he asked if he could be part of a meeting at
the Roscoe Diner in Roscoe, N.Y.. Schwartz responded by saying that was "a
blatant lie" and that Johnson was given "incorrect" information. He also said
he'd meet Johnson "any time, any place."
Ryan even got into it, suggesting he give the team a day off from practice so
the entire organization could sit down with Revis, his agents and anyone else
the star player wanted in an effort to complete a deal.
Then came a code of silence from both sides - and the fear that Revis could sit
out the entire season, as his uncle once did. In the end, though, Revis will be
back with the team in time to begin a season Ryan and the Jets are convinced
will be special.
"I'm happy, I'm relieved," Tannenbaum said. "Obviously, Darrelle's a great
player. He's our guy and he's an important piece to what we're trying to
accomplish here. ... I don't think anyone wanted it to take as long as it did,
but it did. Now, we can put it behind us and move on to Baltimore."
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