Step 1 of the New England Patriots’ offseason is complete. Step 2 could be a little more difficult.
The Patriots locked up safety Devin McCourty on a reported five-year, $47.5 million contract with $28.5 million guaranteed. Now the Patriots must find a way to retain cornerback Darrelle Revis, who is due a $20 million option next week. It would be difficult to fit Revis’ $25 million hit under the salary cap, so the Patriots might need to release the All-Pro and risk losing him on the open market as they try to re-do his deal.
Having McCourty, who is good friends with Revis, back on board could help in retaining the cornerback.
“I actually spoke to him,” McCourty said on Comcast SportsNet New England’s “Sports Sunday”. “I told him, I feel like, the same thing he would tell me … I want him back here, I want to play with him, he’s a great teammate and the best corner in the game, but I also know it’s a business. I would never hit him up and try to pressure him into doing something. I told him I already gained a teammate for the rest of my NFL career anyway because we already train together. I’ll see him again in Arizona, and hopefully I’ll see him again in July in training camp.”
That’s certainly what Patriots fans are hoping for, as well. Revis’ decision, should he hit the open market, is expected to come down to the Patriots and New York Jets — the team that drafted him back in 2007. Free agency officially starts Tuesday at 4 p.m., and the Patriots likely will wait until the last moment before releasing him.
Thumbnail photo via Instagram/patriots
