New England Patriots fans are undoubtedly a bit upset with how free agency has gone thus far. All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis left to return to the division rival New York Jets, and while the Pats have made some solid signings since, losing Revis is a big blow. Patriots chairman and CEO Robert Kraft said that the team made a "very competitive offer" to keep Revis in town. However, the four-time Pro Bowl corner doesn't see it that way.
Revis discussed his negotiations with the Patriots with ESPN's Michael Kay on Wednesday and revealed that the team may not have made such a strong offer after all, at least in his eyes.
"Obviously I'm not going to speak to numbers," Revis said, "but I had the option - the $20 million option - that they could've exercised and they didn't. We tried to work on a deal, and the deal, we felt that it wasn't in the ballpark of what we were looking for. We moved on and they moved on too. Had a great conversation with Bill [Belichick], and we moved forward just like they did."
Revis is perhaps not being entirely fair when he says that New England "could've" exercised his option. Revis and his camp had made it known from the start that they wished to negotiate a new contract with the Patriots or another team in free agency and did not want the team to opt-in for that next year.
Mike Giardi of CSNNE.com reports that the Patriots were not willing to guarantee more than $30 million. The Jets offered Revis $39 million fully guaranteed. Overall, Revis could earn around $70 million over the life of his five-year contract with New York.
New England held a $20 million option for Revis in 2015, which would count $25 million against the salary cap. Revis became an unrestricted free agent when the Patriots declined the option.
