Cimini: Why Revis deal Probably Won’t Get Done

Rich Cimini sheds some light on the Darrelle Revis contract situation for ESPN NY.

There is a little-known rule in the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement that is having a big-time impact on the New York Jets’ stalled negotiations with star cornerback Darrelle Revis — and it likely will sabotage any chance of signing Revis to a contract extension before the start of the season.

It’s called the “reallocation rule,” and it explains, in part, why the Jets’ offer to Revis includes virtually no fully guaranteed money. By “fully” guaranteed, we mean it’s guaranteed against skill and injury, ensuring the player gets paid no matter what.

The rule states that, when doing a contract extension in an uncapped year, future guarantees against skill and injury must fit under the team’s 2009 salary cap. In the Jets’ case, that doesn’t leave much at all, as they had only about $300,000 in leftover cap space — a relative drop in the bucket. They can offer more than that for skill or injury, but not both.

JetNation is on record as saying there will be no extension for Revis before the season starts.  The length of his remaining contract, coupled with the lack of a collective bargaining agreement for next season makes it a long shot.  This will definitely be a featured story line on the HBO series Hard Knocks.

Stay tuned for more drama, coming soon.  Tell us what you think in our New York Jets message board.