Bill Belichick has no shortage of NFL wins. Counting the playoffs, he now has 263 career victories — and, of course, five Super Bowl rings — as a head coach.
All he does is win.
But one of his biggest, most decisive wins didn’t actually come on the field between the lines. It was a decision the New England Patriots head coach made after the 2014 season that looks smarter and smarter every day.
Upon the conclusion of that season — which culminated with Belichick’s fourth world title as a head coach — he and the Patriots had a decision to make: Would they re-sign cornerback Darrelle Revis after one (very successful) season in Foxboro or let him walk?
Despite questions about the secondary, Belichick and the Patriots chose the latter path. They declined Revis’ $20 million option, making him a free agent, and the perennial Pro Bowl pick quickly bolted, returning to his NFL roots by signing a ridiculous five-year, $70 million with the New York Jets.
The return on that investment would make even Wall Street’s worst investors blush.
In hindsight, it looks like the Patriots got the last good season out of Revis (for a relative $12 million bargain), as the four-time All-Pro has been an absolute disaster since rejoining the Jets. His play started to immediately slip before nose-diving during the 2016 season. Calls for the Jets to cut Revis intensified as the season progressed.
Now, it’s looking less and less likely Revis starts the 2017 season with the Jets. In fact, it’s questionable whether he starts the season with anyone after he was charged with four felonies (!) and a misdemeanor for his role in an alleged altercation over the weekend in Pittsburgh.
The Jets should (and you have to think probably will) fire Revis. As ESPN.com points out, the Jets could clear $9.3 million in salary cap room; he’s on the books for a $15.3 million cap hit in 2017, but they’d still have to pay him $6 million.
Regardless, he’s the Jets’ problem now and not the Patriots’ or Belichick’s. And while no one — not even the seemingly prescient Belichick — could have seen this coming, it’s just another feather in the head coach’s mangled knit beanie.
Because the Patriots hit a home run with Malcolm Butler at cornerback, it eased the potential pain of losing Revis after the 2014 season. Just as importantly, the Patriots didn’t overcommit to a gaudy salary cap figure, allowing them to re-sign younger, more valuable players.
Don’t forget: While the Patriots let Revis walk that summer, they were able to re-sign Devin McCourty. All he’s done since is evolve into one of the NFL’s best safeties and one of the most important players on the league’s top-rated, Super Bowl-winning defense.
Not to mention the Patriots are entering a crucial offseason — with a staggering number of free agents hitting the market — with oodles and oodles of salary cap space.
Just another win for Belichick.
Thumbnail photo via Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports Images
