Revis ends holdout
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — Darrelle Revis stayed in shape while his agents took care of the negotiating.
A distant bystander while his teammates prepared for the season, there were times when the first-round draft pick wondered if he'd ever take the field for the New York Jets.
"Being out for so long, you think it's never going to end," the cornerback said Wednesday night. "We're just glad to get this process done and over with."
The Jets signed Revis, drafted 14th overall, on Wednesday and ended the touted cornerback's lengthy holdout.
"It was tough," said Revis, wearing a gray Jets T-shirt. "Basically being a competitor and being the type of football player that I am, I didn't want to sit there and see my teammates playing. I was frustrated for a while, but I just looked at the positive side of it and let my agents handle it."
Revis missed 22 practices — including Wednesday's single practice — and the team's preseason opener last Friday against Atlanta since training camp started July 27.
The holdup in the negotiations reportedly stemmed from the length of the contract. The Jets were looking to sign Revis to a six-year deal, while the cornerback wanted a five-year contract.
"I knew the landing spot on this deal was really small, but I was resolute in the fact that there was a landing spot that was good for Darrelle and good for the Jets," general manager Mike Tannenbaum said. "I'm just happy that we found that spot. Some deals, it's easy to find that spot and this deal was obviously hard to find, but we knew that it was there."
Tannenbaum wouldn't address the length of the deal, other than to say, "it was 47 pages."
"I think it's a fair contract," he said. "I think it's good for both sides."
Neil Schwartz, one of Revis' agents, echoed Tannenbaum's sentiments.
"All the John Hancocks are going to be on the contract, so it's definitely a win-win," Schwartz said.
Tannenbaum said the team and Revis' agents agreed in principle to a deal late Tuesday night.
"We're glad it's over," Tannenbaum said.
The only reason Revis didn't practice Wednesday was because the contract — deemed "very complicated" by Tannenbaum — needed to be reviewed by the league's management council.
