What cap savings are available to the Jets if someone signs Darrelle Revis?

Yesterday, the following tweet from Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant kicked off some speculation that Dallas might perhaps target former Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis:

When Revis was released by the Jets, they remained on the hook for $6 million of the 2017 salary in his contract. However, there are salary off-sets that mean they would no longer be responsible for that guaranteed salary to the extent that he earned it elsewhere.

12 months ago it seemed unfathomable that Revis wouldn't be able to find a job paying him at least $6 million in 2017 if the Jets let him go, so it seemed unlikely they'd owe him that money. However, here we are in mid-June and there doesn't seem to be much interest.

After a rough 2016 season which Revis has partly attributed to the fact he was out of shape, the market for Revis has been quiet. However, indications are that he's back in shape now and has even expressed a willingness to move to safety.

So, what are the chances that the Jets could get relief for some or all of that amount? Let's sum up the possibilities.

  • If he doesn't sign with anyone, the Jets will owe him $6 million cash, which is already counting against the camp.

  • If he signs for someone for over $6 million the Jets won't owe him anything and that $6 million will come off the cap.

  • If he's getting less than $6 million then he'll still get $6 million in cash with the Jets paying the balance. Anything paid by his new team will effectively represent a cash and cap saving for the Jets.

The first two scenarios are simple enough, but also perhaps the least likely. It's the situation whereby he signs for less than $6 million that warrants further contemplation.

Simply put, Revis might as well just sign for the minimum because he'll get $6 million in total either way. So that would be $1 million from his new team and the balance of $5 million from the Jets. So that would be a $1 million saving in terms of both cash and cap room for the Jets.

If Revis absolutely insisted on earning more than the minimum then that would be an absolute gift for the Jets.

Say he refused to sign for less than $3 million, then the Jets would make a $3 million cash and cap saving. From Revis' perspective that would be completely illogical because he's still getting $6 million either way; his salary from his new team plus the balance of the $6m from the Jets. Insisting on a higher amount from his new team only benefits the Jets and hurts his new team while not making any difference whatsoever to Revis' bottom line.

However, as he's been a player who has been concerned about his legacy, career earnings and contractual status over the years, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of him being too proud to play on a minimum salary contract, even though he'd still bank the same $6 million either way.

I haven't seen the official off-set terms but I would assume a multi-year deal (which I think is highly unlikely anyway) would produce cap relief for the Jets only as and when amounts were paid to him. I guess a 2 year 11m deal (for "pride") but then he receives $1m this year and is then cut or retires might be a way around that "refuses to get out of bed for less than X" issue.

Refusing to sign for a low amount when you're getting paid the same amount either way would strike me as a cut off your nose to spite your face type move, but actually if Revis wanted to screw the Jets over, then signing for the minimum would be exactly what he should do. If any animosity remains between Revis and the team, that's possible, but it's still perhaps less of a big deal to him personally than his own contractual status.

One other possible issue that might be a factor is that Revis has reportedly been in a legal dispute with Schwartz/Feinsod - his old agents - who negotiated his previous deal with the Jets. It's likely Schwartz/Feinsod would collect a fee on anything he received from the Jets, but probably not on a new deal negotiated by his current agent. He may therefore be keen to maximize his current contract detail for that reason.

Conclusions

While any links between Revis and the Jets are well and truly severed and we barely need to think about him any more, this is still an issue that bears watching.

If Revis signs, it's going to give the Jets some value cap relief to add to the significant cap space they've already stockpiled for next year and beyond. The more he signs for, the better it is for the Jets. It's going to be interesting to see what kind of deal he insists upon should he get any interest as we get closer to the season.