IMO making Revis the high ticket item, over Julius, is poor management. Revis is not the same Revis who was shutting down the best WR's in the game when he was with the Jets. That Revis was 26 or 27, in his prime, and had not yet torn his ACL. The guy we would be getting now is still good, but he is not the same great player we remember, and chasing that player (who no longer exists) for big ticket item money, over a dynamic 27 Y.O. TE who instantly takes your passing game to another level, in my view is a mistake. I would rather sign Julius as the big ticket item, then sign a CB like Byron Maxwell who is younger and not too far away from the player Revis is now. Revis is still better, but Maxwell has size, speed and he can ball, and he'll come a lot cheaper.
Signing Revis over Maxwell serves a twofold purpose:
1) He undoubtedly makes the Jets a better team overall. Word has it Todd Bowles likes to blitz almost as much as Rex Ryan. Therefore, he is going to need CB's than can play on an island. Revis is a custom fit CB to that sort of defensive scheme or tendency.
2) As a result of signing him, he will no longer a be a Patsy. THAT alone may make the signing worth it. Revis put the Patsies over the top in 2014 and allowed them to win it all. I have talked about this endlessly. BB makes moves that serve twofold purposes all the time. BB signed Shaun Ellis for 5 million after the 2010 season when the Jets were offering the league minimum. Who do YOU think was more accurate in the pay they were offering? The Jets were, no doubt.
But here's what you are missing.... The move took him away from the Jets. This is the same Shaun Ellis that raised his game whenever he played the hated Patsies. In fact, in the 2011 Divisional playoff game in NE, Shaun Ellis was the best player on the field for either team. He had 2 sacks and spent the day in the Patsy backfield.
Signing Ellis took him off the Jets and put him on a team where he could no longer damage the Patsies, but only help them. That alone made the move worth it. BB has done that many times in the past and that type of wisdom has always been lost on the Jets management. It's about time they started thinking outside the box.
And even Shaun Ellis isn't even half the player that Darrelle Revis is. He never was. The Jets signing Darrelle Revis has an enormous effect in IMPROVING the Jets and also severely damages the patsies talent level, how versatile they can be on defense, and the Jets do NOT have to face him. It serves TWOFOLD purpose that signing any other CB could not possibly match.
Maxwell may be an up and coming player and that is fine. But he still isn't Darrelle Revis and I seriously doubt he ever will be. Darrelle Revis types do not grow on trees, they only come along once every 10 or 15 years.
And even if Revis's play is slipping that's still fine. A falling Darrelle Revis is still MILES better than 90% of the corners in the league today.
Not to mention, Revis fills a MASSIVE need for the NYJ. Julius Thomas isn't even a need for the NYJ, CB's are. And mind you this is FA, where IMO you should always address needs. BAP in the draft as often as you can, and needs in FA.