Talent doesn't come without its fair share of drama, and nobody knows that better than cornerback Darrelle Revis.
Despite his superb coverage skills, the 28-year-old's job security has been anything but concrete the past few years. Yes, he's a five-time Pro Bowler, and yes, he's been the highest paid cornerback in the league for some time.
Those paychecks are a big hit for any franchise, however, especially if a long-term deal is back loaded. No one can fault a team for shopping a player like Revis if they feel the benefit is worth the cost of losing him, which was the case when the Jets traded him away and ended up with rookie defenders Dee Milliner and Sheldon Richardson.
And so sits Revis, a year removed from being traded and only a few months from being released from the Tampa Bay Bucs, who didn't want to continue with the six-year, $96 million deal they had worked out with the star corner.
So how does the former Pitt star feel about yet another uncertain contract situation, now with the New England Patriots? According to Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston, he's merely living in the moment.
"You guys know my contract. It's out there," he said. "There is really no reason to even really get into it. I'm here. I'm here for this year. Everything else will take care of itself after the season."
"You guys know my contract. It's out there," he said. "There is really no reason to even really get into it. I'm here. I'm here for this year. Everything else will take care of itself after the season."
This year. He's there for this year. That sounds an awful lot like his first offseason comments at the end of May, when he told reporters, "I’m on my career and my journey, and right now, I’m a New England Patriot."
Revis' faith in that "option" year built into his Pats' contract doesn't seem to be too strong, but can you blame him? The $20 million deal includes a ridiculous $12 million roster bonus, combined with a $7.5 million base salary and a half-million dollars in roster bonuses. That's a deal unlikely to be picked up by New England, a financially illogical move unless Revis literally carries the team to a Super Bowl victory.
So that leaves Revis, a shutdown, top-three defensive back, in yet another ambiguous situation. It leaves him again the focus of the defensive backfield, the crutch that can either propel the secondary to immortality or a bartering chip if things don't work out.
Right now, the star corner continues to live in the present.
"The sky is the limit but at the same we have to continue working," he said. "I felt like we improved every day, but at the same time, we're taking time off and when we get back to training camp, we have to be ready to go.
"We need much improvement out of everybody, including me. You can't make predictions -- who's the No. 1, 2, 3 secondary. It really doesn't matter right now."
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