New York Jets coach Rex Ryan is fond of referring to Darrelle Revis as the best defensive player in the NFL. It should be no surprise that Ryan reportedly wants to keep his cornerback.
Dysfunction in the Big Apple
Darrelle Revis' situation with the Jets shows what happens when an owner dictates football decisions, Gregg Rosenthal writes. **More ...**
My old boss, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, reported Thursday that Ryan doesn't want to trade Revis. The cornerback is coming off anterior cruciate ligament surgery and has only one year left on his contract, so Jets owner Woody Johnson has made it clear he wants to explore all options with Revis.
To recap: The owner might want to trade the team's best player. The coach wants to keep him. The general manager, who was just hired, is caught in the middle. The coach and general manager don't know each other.
On top of all that, Johnson wasn't exactly effusive in his praise of Ryan to prospective general managers in interviews. Former Denver Broncos executive Ted Sundquist interviewed with the Jets and said Johnson's wildly supportive news conference of Ryan was not reflective of the owner's feelings behind closed doors.
"I think Mr. Johnson realizes there are weaknesses and deficiencies there," Sundquist told ESPNNewYork.com. "He was adamant about how the players love Rex, their connection with him. But then he was like, 'That said ... ' -- and he listed X, Y and Z, the things Rex needs to improve upon."
Ryan has two years left on his contract. Revis has one. It wouldn't be a shock if they both work elsewhere in 2014.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
