Everything in Kraft's Monday statements made it clear that, while parting with Revis was difficult, that ship has sailed. "We thought we made a very competitive offer," Kraft said. "I speak as a fan of the New England Patriots, we wanted to keep him. We wanted him in our system, and we have certain disciplines. We had hoped it worked out. It didn't. We just don't think about short-term decisions. For example, next year we have three very good young defensive players coming up and we have to factor that."
Also, given Revis' five-year agreement with the Jets, which includes the next two seasons of fully guaranteed money (at $33M), Revis' situation now bears no resemblance to the contractual climate Revis faced when Woody Johnson made his comments. Unlike Johnson - who lamented not ponying up the money Revis was paid in New England in 2014 - Kraft made clear that that kind of spending wasn't in the Patriots' plans. "We just don't look at this year; we look out at the next few years. We've done OK doing that," he said. "As a fan, in March and April, I hate to lose [Revis]. But our real focus is what goes on in the fall and winter. I put my faith and respect with Bill [Belichick]. We have a lot of discussions and he's done pretty good the last 15 years. The fan in me argues all the time with him but he has a pretty good record."
