Darrelle Revis turns 25 today, which entitles him to a free scoop of ice cream at his local Baskin Robbins and an easy out from any Bastille Day activities. It doesn't mean he's going to get the thing he wants most in the world when he blows out the candles at some point during the day.
That, of course, is a new contract from the Jets. The two sides have not made much movement at all toward a new deal so far this offseason -- something that has kept alive the possibility of a holdout from training camp when it begins in early August. There were several reports last week that gave differing views about Revis's willingness to do that but none of them ruled it out explicitly and, more significantly, none placed the Jets and Revis anywhere close to an agreement about his future.
That's a bit of a blow to Jets fans who probably saw D'Brickashaw Ferguson sign an extension as a sign that Revis wouldn't be far behind. Unfortunately, what was touted as a six-year, $60 million deal for the left tackle turns out to be something much different when you actually look at the way the deal is structured. Ferguson is guaranteed only one year and a bit more than $5 million with the rest contingent on his staying healthy and productive.
Nothing wrong with that. It actually seems like a fair enough requirement to earn your money although it isn't the way things are normally done in the NFL and it gets to the heart of the impasse between the team and Revis. Revis wants guaranteed money and the Jets haven't been particularly forthcoming with it in the offers they've sent his way.
The Ferguson deal shows that the team is generally averse to guaranteeing money for players and that their success in doing it with one deal makes it more likely that they'd stick to that negotiating pattern going forward.
All of this is the business stuff that makes eyes roll back in heads. The financial implications and underpinnings of the deal are above our pay grade so we'll merely point out again that Revis is turning 25, is already the best cornerback in all of football and, somehow, is set to be paid less than six other members of the secondary.
The Jets need him happy (and healthy) if they are going to back up one iota of their offseason bluster and a birthday is a wonderful time to put a smile on someone's face.
