It didn’t take long for New York Jets general manager John Idzik to engage in damage control.
With Darrelle Revis upset by trade rumors and a perceived lack of commitment from the organization, Idzik called the star cornerback Thursday in an attempt to clarify the situation.
Revis “reacted well” and appreciated the call, according to Idzik. Only a few hours earlier, Revis tweeted that he was “speechless” by the sudden questions about his future.
“I reached out to Darrelle, and I made sure he knew exactly where we were coming from and that this is my first day on the job and our message to everyone was, ‘Give us a chance to get to know each other and introduce ourselves to each other,’ ” Idzik said Friday in an interview with NBC’s Pro Football Talk.
“A lot of the people in the building you know through football circles, but you’ve never worked alongside each other. So give us that chance, and give us the chance to go through our current roster. Ultimately, that’s the basis of comparison to whatever you may contemplate doing. We haven’t taken that first step, and that’s what I relayed to Darrelle.”
Revis is in Arizona, rehabilitating his surgically repaired knee.
Idzik walked into a firestorm Thursday at his introductory news conference.
The former Seattle Seahawks executive, hired last week, was noncommittal when asked about Revis, who has one year left on his contract and could be dangled in trade talks. Idzik told reporters he needed to evaluate Revis and every player on the roster before making any judgments.
The non-answer made it worse.
Reports surfaced Wednesday night that owner Woody Johnson, concerned about not being able to negotiate a long-term extension for Revis, wants to explore trade talks. Per a clause in Revis’ contract, the Jets can’t use the franchise tag on him, meaning they could lose him for nothing next year as a free agent.
On Thursday afternoon, Revis responded via Twitter.
“I’m speechless by far but more importantly I feel more upset for the jet nation for having to go through this!!!” Revis tweeted. “I guess we’ll see how this plays out.”
The two sides haven’t engaged in any contract talks, but that should change in the coming weeks. Revis is scheduled to make $6 million in 2013, including a $1 million roster bonus due around March 20. Before then, the Jets have to decide what to do with their best player.
It will be hard to receive fair-market value in a trade, as Revis is only three months removed from ACL surgery. However, an opposing personnel executive, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said he wouldn’t be surprised if the Jets still extract at least a first-round pick for the injured corner.
Revis’ asking price could be an obstacle, though. He’s believed to be seeking at least $16 million per year, with $50 million in guarantees, roughly the free-agent contract defensive end Mario Williams received last offseason from the Buffalo Bills.
On Friday, fellow Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie stuck up for Revis.
“We can’t lose a guy like him,” Cromartie told NFL.com while in Hawaii for the Pro Bowl. “He’s a great leader in the locker room and also in our DB room, making sure that guys are accountable for each other. To lose a guy like that would be huge. And even though he’s coming off the surgery, I believe he’ll come back as strong as ever.”
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