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Darrelle Revis

Darrelle Revis Rumors: Tuesday

March 11th, 2014 at 6:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Darrelle Revis rumor mill was firing on all cylinders last night, as reports suggested that the Buccaneers had been intensifying their efforts to move the star cornerback in a trade. A variety of details related to Revis’ contract status, including his $13MM base salary, upcoming bonus payments, the team’s ability to unilaterally restructure the deal, and the different draft pick compensation Tampa Bay receives if they release him this week, all contribute to creating a very murky situation. There have already been plenty of updates on Revis overnight and this morning, so we’ll round them up right here, with new updates added to the top of the list throughout the day:

  • A Revis trade is now considered unlikely, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). The Browns sound like the most interested team, but the cornerback isn’t willing to take a pay cut to join Cleveland, and other clubs are willing to wait to see if he hits the open market.
  • Resolution is expected on Revis by tomorrow afternoon, tweets Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. The Bucs will either move him by 3:00pm CT or release him if there are no takers.

Earlier updates:

  • A source tells Pro Football Talk that the Raiders aren’t currently pursuing Revis, but the Browns are (Twitter link).
  • Brian Costello of the New York Post hears from a source that Revis would love to return to the Jets (Twitter link).
  • The Bucs are trying to clear Revis’ salary – ideally via trade – in order to free up space for several other free agent moves, says Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (via Twitter).
  • Revis rejected a request from the Bucs to accept a pay cut, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The cornerback’s deal gives Tampa Bay the ability to restructure at any time, but of course that doesn’t mean the club can simply slash Revis’ pay.
  • As we noted in a separate post on the Raiders, Oakland is a potential trade partner for the Bucs, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle.
  • Tampa Bay is receiving inquiries from teams with cap space, says Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Rapoport suggests that the Browns, with their abundance of cap room, will be a team to watch.
  • The Bucs aren’t seeking multiple first-rounders for Revis, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, who suggests (via Twitter) that anything above a mid-round pick might get it done.
  • Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report hears from general managers that the Bucs‘ initial asking price for Revis was two No. 1 picks, which drew laughs around the league (Twitter link).
  • Former Jets executive Ari Nissim identifies the Eagles, Raiders, Browns, and Jets as teams that would like to get their hands on Revis, but it sounds like those are the clubs who would be first in line if Revis is cut — they won’t necessarily try to trade for him (Twitter links).
  • Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer says (via Twitter) that the Eagles won’t trade for Revis “unless it’s [for] peanuts.”
  • The Eagles and Patriots are teams worth watching if and when the Bucs release Revis, says Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

Raiders Rumors: QBs, Revis, Jenkins, Jennings

March 11th, 2014 at 12:38pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raiders are interested in quarterback Josh McCown, but the team is also waiting to see what the Texans will do with Matt Schaub, says Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). Additionally, many believe the McCown sweepstakes could be down to the Bears and Buccaneers, according to Tafur. Here’s more on the Raiders:

  • The Raiders are thought to be “strong players” in the Darrelle Revis sweepstakes, according to Tafur (via Twitter), who says the Browns are involved as well. Both clubs have a boatload of cap space available this offseason, which makes them logical destinations to either absorb Revis’ contract in a trade or outbid other teams should he reach free agency.
  • Five teams are interested in free agent cornerback Mike Jenkins, who may be harder for the Raiders to re-sign than they expected, tweets Tafur.
  • Rashad Jennings may make a decision today, and it appears the Raiders and Giants are his top two suitors, says Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (Twitter links).
  • There’s nothing new on the Raiders front when it comes to Jared Veldheer and Lamarr Houston, tweets Tafur. It continues to look like Veldheer will land in Arizona, and Houston could sign elsewhere too.

Bucs Intensifying Darrelle Revis Trade Efforts

March 10th, 2014 at 11:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

11:50pm: The Bucs are receiving calls on Revis from interested teams, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

8:47pm: If Revis is released Wednesday, the Jets would only receive the Bucs fourth-round-pick, not their third-rounder, as per the terms last year’s trade, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.

8:37pm: In addition to attempting to trade Revis, the Bucs are also trying to rework his contact, tweets Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune.

8:18pm: As of now, the Bucs haven’t found any takers for Revis, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). If no trade partner is found, Revis will likely be released by 4pm on Wednesday, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.

7:45pm: The Buccaneers are “stepping up” their efforts to trade cornerback Darrelle Revis, according to Alex Marvez of FoxSports1 (via Twitter). 2013 was Revis’ first season in Tampa Bay, after the Bucs sent a first-round-pick to the Jets to acquire him. Upon his arrival, he signed a six-year, $96MM contract, none of which was guaranteed.

After missing 2012 with a torn ACL, Revis once again ascended to the top of Pro Football Focus’ cornerback rankings. While Bucs coach Lovie Smith has stated that Revis and his fondness for playing man-to-man coverage could fit in Tampa’s Cover-2 defense, some believe this scheme incongruity might be driving the Revis rumors. But NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports on Twitter that the team is simply “uncomfortable” with paying Revis’ schedule $13MM base salary. In fact, his high salary leads several executives to believe that the Bucs might have to just release Revis, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).

The talks could get serious this week, as Revis is due a $1.5MM roster bonus on Thursday, as ESPN’s Adam Caplan tweets. Last week, we noted that both the Broncos and Patriots have expressed interest in acquiring Revis. On the Bucs side, Caplan tweets that some executives believe Alterraun Verner will land in Tampa in the event of Revis being cut or traded, noting that Verner would fit well in Tampa’s Cover-2 scheme.

NFC Notes: Graham, Jones, Tate, Guion

March 5th, 2014 at 11:15am CST by Luke Adams

The franchise tag is viewed as a way to essentially take an unrestricted free agent off the market, but that’s not technically what the tag does. It simply makes it more costly for another team to sign that free agent away from his current club, since the signing team would have to give up two first-round picks as compensation.

For some players though, that price tag may be worth paying, and there’s a sense around the league that a team may be willing to do so for Jimmy Graham, writes Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report. It’s not clear yet which club might make a run at Graham, but teams with late first-round picks like the Seahawks and Patriots have been mentioned as possible candidates, and Freeman says not to rule out the Ravens either. For what it’s worth, a Packers source tells Freeman that Green Bay making a run at Graham “won’t happen.” Still, it sounds as if the Saints may need to fight to keep their star pass-catcher.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • James Jones isn’t expected to be back in Green Bay next season, but the free agent receiver still thinks there’s a chance he could re-sign with the Packers, as he told Around the League on the NFL Network yesterday (link via Dan Hanzus of NFL.com). If he doesn’t continue with the Packers, Jones thinks the Colts and Chargers might be good fits for him.
  • With just a few days until he can hit the open market, Golden Tate tells SiriusXM NFL Radio that he hasn’t heard much from the Seahawks, as Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk details. “I’ve kind of just trusted in my agent and him being good at his work,” Tate said. “Todd [France] has had some great deals in the past and so I’m letting him handle it. Just trying to stay stress free and really enjoying being a Super Bowl champ.”
  • Veteran defensive tackle Letroy Guion, who only played in about a third of the Vikings‘ defensive snaps in 2013, may be asked to take a pay cut, says Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Guion has a 2014 base salary worth $3.95MM and a total cap number of $4.3MM.
  • If the Buccaneers are going to trade Darrelle Revis this offseason, it will likely happen sooner rather than later. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explains why.

South Rumors: Pollard, Texans, Buccaneers

March 3rd, 2014 at 8:07pm CST by Ben Levine

The Titans re-signed Bernard Pollard this afternoon and a couple interesting notes have trickled out since. According to Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com (via Twitter), Pollard did not use his agent and worked out the new deal himself. General manager Ruston Webster told Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean (via Twitter) that “getting this deal done today helps our overall plan for this offseason…. We still have work ahead of us trying to retain some of our other players, but we are glad to be able to get this one done.” Among the team’s other free agents are cornerback Alterraun Verner and receiver Kenny Britt.

Some more whispers from the teams down south…

Broncos, Patriots Interested In Revis

March 1st, 2014 at 1:50pm CST by Rob DiRe

NFL teams have been considering trading for Darrelle Revis, and while the Buccaneers are not confirmed to be seriously shopping him, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes that the Patriots and Broncos would both be interested in acquiring the superstar cornerback.

Revis holds a $16MM cap figure ($13MM in base salary, $3MM in bonuses) but the contract is completely non-guaranteed. Even still, this is a large number for two cap-strapped AFC contenders.

The thinking behind each move is that both the Patriots and the Broncos employ expensive quarterbacks that are both inching closer and closer to their 40th birthdays, with Peyton Manning at 37 and Tom Brady at 36. Each team knows its window to win a Super Bowl is now.

For the Patriots, Revis could be a safer alternative to re-signing Aqib Talib to a big money deal, especially after the team was embarrassed by other players with character concerns in Aaron Hernandez and Alfonzo Dennard. Also, Florio rights that the “icing on the cake” would be the ability to stick Revis against the Jets twice a year.

The Broncos have Champ Bailey on the books for $10MM in 2014, and for only $6MM more they could have a much younger, healthier option at corner. At this point in their respected careers, the older Bailey is not even close to the talent Revis is. Florio writes that Revis wouldn’t close the gap between the Broncos and the Seahawks in case of a Super Bowl rematch, but he would be a huge upgrade for a team that was embarrassed by 35 points in its final game.

Extra Points: Revis, Falcons, Eagles, Cap

February 26th, 2014 at 1:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported yesterday that rival teams are calling the Buccaneers to inquire on the availability of Darrelle Revis, with a number of execs believing a trade is possible. However, Roy Cummings of the Tampa Bay Times is skeptical. Speaking to Cummings, new head coach Lovie Smith said the Bucs will rely heavily on man coverage: “Whether we win or lose is going to be based on how we play man coverage” (Twitter links). That approach suggests that the team is likely to keep the league’s best cover corner on the roster, though we’ll have to wait to see if new GM Jason Licht is in agreement.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

  • In an article examining the likelihood of the Falcons releasing safety Thomas DeCoud, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution suggests that if the team can’t secure a free agent safety by DeCoud’s guarantee date (March 15), hanging on to him remains possible.
  • While multiple reports have suggested the Eagles will likely prioritize re-signing Jeremy Maclin over Riley Cooper, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk hears that it’s the other way around, and based on what he’s hearing, “it’s not even close.”
  • Not many agents and teams were close to reaching free agent or extension agreements at this year’s combine, according to Jack Bechta at the National Football Post. Bechta, who represents multiple free agents himself, speculates that the increased gap in between the combine and the free agent period this year may be contributing to slower-than-usual negotiations.
  • With 2014’s projected cap number up to $132MM, or perhaps even higher, ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert has updated his look at the salary cap space each team is expected to have heading into the new league year. As Seifert’s chart shows, the new cap projections mean that the Raiders now have $66MM+ of space.
  • Former Packers executive Andrew Brandt explains a few aspects of the NFL’s salary cap in a piece for TheMMQB.com.

Teams Inquiring On Darrelle Revis

February 25th, 2014 at 3:31pm CST by Luke Adams

While a number of solid cornerbacks appear poised to hit the free agent market next month, a few NFL clubs also appear to be eyeing a corner whose contract extends well beyond March. According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, teams are calling the Buccaneers to inquire about Darrelle Revis, with many rival executives believing that Revis is “ripe to be dealt” at the start of the 2014 league year.

Despite some apparent interest, no firm offers have been extended yet, and the Bucs certainly aren’t shopping their standout cornerback, according to La Canfora. The CBS Sports scribe also cautions that Revis’ age and sizable salary figure to limit the potential return for Tampa Bay. Still, inquiries and negotiations could ramp up as March 11 approaches, particularly since the team has hired a new general manager and head coach.

The lack of a prorated signing bonus in Revis’ deal makes a trade more palatable for the Buccaneers. The 28-year-old has five years and $80MM remaining on his contract, but there’s no signing bonus money included in that amount. If the pact featured, for instance, $2MM per year in prorated bonus money, all that money would accelerate onto the Bucs’ current cap in a trade, just as it does when a player is released. In a hypothetical Revis swap, the Bucs could clear his entire cap number.

Still, as La Canfora suggests, Revis’ age and base salary ($13MM per year, plus $3MM annually in roster and workout bonuses) figure to act as a deterrent in any talks. After missing most of the 2012 season, the veteran reclaimed his spot as Pro Football Focus’ top cornerback in 2013 (subscription required), so the Bucs would likely be seeking a sizable return, and teams may not be willing to give up high draft picks to take on such a massive contract.