Furious at the Jets’ most recent contract offer, cornerback Darrelle Revis was conspicuously absent from the team’s voluntary on-field workout this morning in Florham Park.
The All-Pro cornerback’s absence could be a sign of more to come, starting with the Jets’ June 14-16 minicamp.
Revis, the most prominent of the Jets’ young stars lining up for contract extensions this offseason, told friends he feels the club insulted him with its offer late last month.
Revis is looking for slightly more than the Raiders’ Nnamdi Asomugha, who is the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback at an average of $16.2 million per year. According to a source, the Jets’ offer was nowhere near that amount and believed to be in the range of $10 million per year.
Revis, who has three years and $21 million left on his rookie contract, told friends he won’t commit to attending any more of the Jets’ organized team activities (OTAs) or the mandatory minicamp. A training-camp holdout is possible. Revis can’t be fined for skipping OTAs but can be docked for missing minicamp and training camp.
Rex Ryan didn’t appear worried today by Revis’ absence, which was timed for maximum effect because it is the one day this week that the media is allowed to watch practice.
“We’ll see what happens,” Ryan said. “He’s been here every day up until this. These are voluntary camps.”
People close to Revis said he feels betrayed because the Jets have vowed repeatedly to “take care of him,” but followed that with their relatively meager offer.
“All I can say is that Darrelle is everything we believe in, on and off the field,” Mike Tannenbaum said, according to The Associated Press. “We told him that shortly after the season. We remain committed to that. He’s a foundation for this organization.”
In talks with friends, Revis is comparing this to the Jets’ recent contract standoffs with Pete Kendall, Chris Baker, Leon Washington and Laveranues Coles in terms of the club breaking promises to its players.
“We remain committed to trying to get something done within reason that’s good for Darrelle and good for the team,” Tannenbaum said. “Hopefully he’ll be here not only for the short-term, but the long-term”.
The situation is getting ugly fast for the Jets, and it might not be limited to Revis.
Several of the team’s young cornerstones, including center Nick Mangold, offensive tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson, and linebacker David Harris, also are seeking lucrative contract extensions — so far, without success.
Mangold told The Post today he considered boycotting the OTAs to protest the fact that, in contrast to the Revis situation, the Jets have yet to even make Mangold an offer.
“He remains a priority, too,” Tannenbaum said of Mangold. “A top priority.”
Mangold said he might skip the mandatory minicamp this month and refused to rule out a training-camp holdout because of the Jets’ inactivity with regard to an extension.
“I have a good faith that the organization will do the right thing when it’s my time,” Mangold told The Post. “All the right things have been said [by the Jets] — `We love you’ and `We want you here.’ But it until you see the signature on the line, it’s all just talking points.
“Going through training camp into the final year of my contract is not something I want to happen. I mean, Leon got hurt last year [in the final year of his deal], and now he’s not here anymore. What does that tell you?”
With AP