Jets Crash Landing

With the signing of Brady Quinn there are now two unsigned first round draft picks. The number one pick Jamarcus Russell and the 14^th pick Darrelle Revis. You can’t be so surprised with the Oakland Raiders and Russell debacle…they are the Raiders after all. The Raiders are saying that the Russell party is asking for a 30 million dollar signing bonus when the Raiders believe they should pay 28 million (1.5 million more than the 26.5 Mario Williams signed for in the last draft). But you can’t compare a defensive end with a future starting quarterback.

The biggest fumble as of now is how the Jets are handling the Darrelle Revis situation. The Jets traded up to 14 from 25, giving up a second round pick to the Carolina Panthers in the process [New York Jets ’07 Draft Review]. That alone gives Revis the bargaining power. The Jets wanted this guy so bad, they were willing to trade up 11 picks to get him. So why are the Jets playing hardball with a player they wanted as bad as they did? The Jets are offering a 6 year contract when Revis’ agents are seeking a 5 year contract. The Jets are being completely unfair in these negotiations. Almost every other 1^st rounder has received a 5 year contract, the exception being Calvin Johnson the number two pick. But he got huge money so it wasn’t that big of a deal. It has to be a very tough and frustrating time for Revis and his agents. As a New Yorker, I just hope he gets into camp sooner than later.

Stay tuned in the future for the interview with his agent.

-Paul Schackman