I don't understand the whole "Pats couldn't match the structure" argument. That only applies to transition tag offer sheets where the original team gets to either match or decline the EXACT terms of the offer. In free agency, the Pats could have countered with any structure they pleased. All they had to do was make an offer Revis would accept. Now, they weren't going to outbid the Jets in any case, but all the "structure" stuff is nonsense.
Let me help you clear this up so it becomes clear to you. You are correct, the Pats did not have to match the structure of the deal. But the fact was that the ONLY way the Pats could possibly make this deal work would be to "backload" it, so it would be cap friendly enough in the first 2 years so the Pats could keep their salary structure intact.
So let me ask you, if you were Revis, would you rather have a contract that pays you the bulk of your guaranteed money in the first 3 years of the deal, or the LAST 3 years of the deal. THAT's was the kicker the Pats couldn't match because at the time the Jets were $50MM UNDER the cap, while the Pats were struggling just to get under it.
To put it another way, for the Pats to make this deal work, Revis' contract for 2015 would have had to be structured so that his cap # this year would be $10MM or under Being over $50MM UNDER the cap, the Jets had no such compunctions. In his first 3 years Revis will have cap numbers ranging from $16-18MM, (if I understand it correctly) You also have forgotten that had Revis signed with the Pats whatever cap # he wound up with would come with an additional $5MM surcharge because he only cost $7MM last season.
Finally beyond all the structure issues, you are choose to ignore the biggest obstacle the Pats had to overcome. He WANTED to be in NY. Clearly, the Pats would have had to OVERBID the Jets to bring him back and that was simply a fiscal impossibility. Forget about the money, in NY, he's the undisputed face of the franchise. In NE, he's struggling to be #4 or 5. In NY he's the man. In NE, he's just a piece of the puzzle, an important piece, but just a piece nonetheless. Can you imagine his legacy in NY if the Jets manage to win a Superbowl in the next 5 years. He would be HUGE. Christ, he'll be HUGE if he simply leads them to an AFCE division crown
Two other points of lesser note. Regardless of what the Pats bid, the Jets were going to bid higher. Also, per Ivan's point, he is right. This was a clear case of tampering. There was no way the Jets didn't know exactly what the Pats were offering, as well as having a complex 5 year deal all set and ready just a few hours after Revis officially became a FA. Add that to the official warning, the lip slip, and other nefarious allegations, if the Jets are not SEVERELY punished for tampering, I want, no I demand, Bob Kraft's head explode in rage.
