It is no secret that the Patriots' secondary was much improved with Darrelle Revis on the team. Nearly every defensive position and unit improved with the addition of Revis. This season, New England finally had a shutdown secondary again, for the first time in years. It was pretty sweet. While Revis was good, not perfect but close, is he worth the $25 million cap hit in 2015? Keeping Revis at that number, under his current contract would be quite the expense, almost surely erasing our chances of keeping other top priority free agents, such as McCourty, Gostowski, and Connolly. Those guys are important. Gostowski's leg is pure money; Connolly is one of the only remaining solid offensive linemen who's been with Brady for years and has earned his trust; McCourty is one of the top safeties in the league, and in my opinion, is often under appreciated in New England. Even when he's not making huge plays or coming up with interceptions, he's (quietly) making some noise and disrupting plays. They're valuable to the Patriots. But that leaves Pats fans with the question: who's more important? Defense wins championships, yes. The Revis-led secondary had a lot to do with the Patriots hoisting the Lombardi again for the first time in over a decade. Sure we hear more about Darrelle Revis and his ability to consistently shut down the best receivers in the game...but without McCourty showing up big at safety, and without Gostowski's near perfection for 3 points every time he's called upon...where does that leave the Patriots?
Simply put, Revis is worth every bit of the $25 million he's due if the Patriots pick up his second year option. But when it comes down to it, I wouldn't want New England to do that. If he wants to win and have another shot at a second Super Bowl Championship, he'll work out a deal that fits both him and the Patriots. If it's all about the money, now, he can walk. I will definitely miss the shutdown man-to-man coverage and stellar schemes if he signs elsewhere. With Browner in our secondary, though, we can keep the torturous press-man schemes. He can compliment nearly any corner that comes to Foxboro.
Hopefully the Patriots are able get some deals done before the start of free agency, which is less than a month away. If McCourty hits the market, he's surely gone. Same goes for Gostowski. If we won't pay them what they want, some team will.
Ready for free agency, the combine, and the draft..annnnnd the 2015 Season kickoff.
As always, go Pats.
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