New England Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis has raised his level of play down the stretch this season. He shutdown Keenan Allen last week, blanketed Calvin Johnson earlier this season and is preparing to do the same to Mike Wallace this weekend.
But if Revis keeps playing at this level, the Patriots will be forced to pony up some big money in free agency. Technically, Revis is under contract for the 2015 season. But his contract under his current deal would cost an enormous $25 million against the cap next year. It's likely that if New England wants to keep Revis around, they'll either have to dramatically restructure his deal or sign him to a new one. Revis has declined to get into specifics about his contract situation though.
"I mean, you guys know my contract - there's no reason to really get into it," he said in June. "I'm here. I'm here for this year.
"Everything else will take care of itself after the season."
With other important players such as Devin McCourty, Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen set to become free agents as well, the Patriots have some very tough decisions ahead of them.
Revis' camps will certainly point to the mega deals given to other top corners recently. The Seattle Seahawks gave Richard Sherman a five-year deal worth just south of $59 million. Patrick Peterson signed a seven-year contract for $83 million over the summer. Joe Haden got six years for just under $75 million from the Cleveland Browns.
Revis, 29, is slightly older than those players, but is still playing at an exceptionally high level.
"There are some signs that an extension could be worked out - over the summer, there was a report that owner Robert Kraft had already started working on Revis, trying to convince him to stick around," wrote Christopher Price of WEEI.com. "By all accounts, Revis has enjoyed his relatively brief time in New England, and an optimist could point to the case of wide receiver Randy Moss following the 2007 season, a situation where the receiver signed a three-year deal to stick around Foxboro for what was considered below market cost."
