Revis, seeking richer contract, skips Jets' voluntary camp

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - The first salvo has been fired.

Bothered by the Jets' latest contract extension proposal, Darrelle Revis skipped yesterday's voluntary Organized Team Activities, sending a signal that this process could turn out to be a messy one. Revis hadn't missed a workout so far in what's been an otherwise harmonious offseason for the Jets, and it's unclear when the two-time Pro Bowler will return.

Revis is due a base salary of roughly $1 million this season and he's looking to become the league's highest-paid cornerback, hoping to top the $15.1 million Oakland's Nnamdi Asomugha pockets per season. Revis also prefers to have something done before training camp and previously didn't discount the possibility he might hold out if he doesn't get his new deal.

General manager Mike Tannenbaum said there's no specific timetable to get the deal done, but he reiterated that the Jets plan on locking up the shutdown corner. Of course, he also qualified that with the words "within reason."

"We're committed to making sure that he is here short term and long term," Tannenbaum said Thursday. "If we can find a deal that's good for both sides, we would like to get something done. When that happens, it's hard to say. I'm not a huge deadline guy . . . but timelines are always tough to estimate."

Revis, whose agent, Neil Schwartz, didn't return an e-mail, is coming off his best season and is one of the team's defensive captains. Rex Ryan's defensive scheme revolves around Revis, but he's not about to panic - yet.

"We'll see what happens," said Ryan, who hadn't spoken with Revis. "When it's time to react or be frustrated and all that kind of stuff, I'll react. With Darrelle, he's been here every day up until this. He volunteered to be here every single day and now he wasn't here today. These are voluntary camps just like there are voluntary workouts, and he's made every one of them until today. I've been impressed with him, to say the least, the way he's worked."

Skipping voluntary sessions won't set Revis back, though, if you ask Dennis Thurman. The defensive backs coach noted Revis is already well-schooled in the defense and shouldn't skip a beat, thanks to his preparation and attention to detail.

"I'm just hopeful that we'll get something done where Darrelle is happy, the organization is happy," Thurman told Newsday. "I mean, we need him, I believe he needs us. We'll wait and see what happens. But that part of it is tough. That's the business side of it.

"Whenever he decides to come back, he'll jump right back in and pick right back up where he left off."

Revis' contract situation is just one of many Tannenbaum must deal with over the coming months. The roster is littered with players who are in the final year of their contracts, and some, such as center Nick Mangold and tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, are also angling for big paydays.

"I think it would be naïve to sit here and think we are going to go into each season with 53 happy players that feel totally fulfilled with their contracts, and 53 agents that are just going to sit there and say how wonderful Mike Tannenbaum is," Tannenbaum said. "We tried hard to do that, but we understand in the world that we work in, that's just the reality of the sport and where we are."