The New York Jets emerged as the winners in the Darrelle Revis derby during this offseason's NFL free agency period, but the All World cornerback might have been closer to returning to the New England Patriots than most realize.
Robert Kraft, Patriots owner and retirement home brochure model, recently spoke at a St. Patrick's Day Breakfast and revealed that, while he did his best to keep Revis in the fold - and despite offering less money - almost pulled off the incredible feat of ensuring Revis remained in a New England uniform.
"We've been taking a lot of flak about losing one of our best players Darrelle Revis and what happened," Kraft said, per Phil Perry of CSN New England. "The story isn't known, and I'm gonna tell the story here, and you're gonna know how sensitive I am to what the people in this room care about. The money was about the same, he was actually favoring us, coming to us a little cheaper, but he had one demand, and that demand was . . . he wanted to change the name down the street here of Castle Island to Revis Island. I told him that was non-negotiable and a deal-breaker."
Of course, Kraft was making a joke and that perhaps makes everything he said prior clearly farcical as well.
It's quite possible though, that the intent of Kraft's words was more than just jocularity.
The Patriots really have been taking flak for allowing Revis, one of the best cornerbacks in the game, to leave the team via free agency. Coupled with the departure of Brandon Browner, the Patriots now have two major holes to fill on the outside of their defense with an almost 100 percent assuredness that whoever they get to fill Revis' spot next season will be a major downgrade.
While it was smart on the part of the Patriots to lock up safety Devin McCourty long-term and not shell out a ridiculous contract to Revis, losing a player of his magnitude and integrality will hurt no matter the circumstances.
The beauty of Kraft's statement is that he makes sure Pats fans, angered at Revis' decision to spurn the team for the hated New York Jets - who were, consequently, investigated for tampering charges related to the shutdown corner, it was announced Friday - know that he and head coach Bill Belichick did everything they could to keep Revis from defecting while at the same time adding a moment of levity sure to provide just enough of a cover for him to get his, actually very important, point across.
