With around two weeks left until the NFL Draft, the trade talks between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets were expected to heat up. But Sal Palantonio from ESPN is reporting that the Jets have halted all trade talks with the Bucs concerning Revis until New York has gotten a good look at the injured cornerback. The next question is: will this end up being a brilliant last minute change of strategy or a fatal stare-down that ends with the Jets getting nothing.
According to ProFootballTalk, the reason for the halt in trade talks likely revolves around the dispute between what the right price for Revis is and not the Jets wanting one last romantic walk on the beach with him. It was widely reported last week that the Jets wanted a 2013 first-round pick and the Bucs were comfortable with only giving up a 2014 first-round pick.
"We reported last week that, despite a perceived dispute between the two teams regarding whether the first-round pick would come from the 2013 or 2014 draft, the Buccaneers were willing to send this year’s first-rounder, the 13th overall selection."
It’s clear that the Jets don’t want Revis and that the Buccaneers want him, but John Idzik hasn’t been happy with the return he’s been hearing for the All-Pro, which is likely why the pause button has been mashed. If the Jets wanted to keep Revis, they would have told the Buccaneers off a long time ago, so don’t mistake this pressing of the pause button for the Jets suddenly falling back in love with Revis.
Rather, Idkiz is playing a dangerous game of chicken with Mark Dominik and the Buccaneers now, and it’s going to be a Cuban missile crisis like situation where Dominik is going to try and hold firm with his current offer and Idzik is going to try and bully him into giving up more via the all powerful silent treatment.
It’s clear we’re in a critical phase of trade talks, and it’s not a bad strategy for Idzik to basically cut off communication with the Buccaneers by hitting that pause button. But Idzik hasn’t really earned that right, because good general managers would have played hardball and then chicken, while Idzik made demands as though Revis was his hostage and then went up to his room to pout when he didn’t get what he wanted.
Then again, Idzik is playing on the assumption that the Buccaneers aren’t going anywhere and will eventually make a deal. Forcing them to sweat a little and cave may end up being a strategy that saves Idzik in all of this and flips the script in the 11th hour.