New England Patriots: Cap space for Darrelle Revis?

The New England Patriots re-signed their star safety and defensive captain Devin McCourty last Sunday night, to a five-year deal that is worth $47.5 million dollars. The $28.5 million that are guaranteed to McCourty is the largest amount any NFL safety has ever received.

The Patriots stepped up in a quite surprising fashion after McCourty seemed to be out the door. I didn’t expect the Patriots to be willing to pay McCourty that much money, especially after electing to not use the franchise tag on him. Now the question that must be asked is, if they have enough money to re-sign cornerback Darrelle Revis?

Jan 18, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots free safety Devin McCourty (32) breaks up a pass intended for Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton (13) during the second quarter in the AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

The Patriots made it seem like Darrelle Revis was their No. 1 priority this offseason, so McCourty’s deal did surprise me a bit. While it is great that McCourty is back with the Patriots, it also makes a return of Revis more unlikely. According to Spotrac.com, the New England Patriots have $9.8 million dollars in cap to spend. Revis would take up more cap space than that, though it should be remembered that the Patriots owe him five million dollars, no matter if they sign him or not. That amount is included in the $9.8 million.

Jeff Howe of The Boston Herald wrote that the Patriots are allowing Brandon Browner to explore his value with other teams. This basically means that the Pats will cut him by Tuesday at 4 p.m ET unless he takes a pay cut. So now he has time to see if any team is willing to pay him enough, so that he would leave the Patriots and not take the pay cut. If Browner leaves, the Patriots would free up $5.5 million more in cap space, leaving them at $15.3 million dollars in cap room.

I believe that the Patriots will have to pay Revis about $14-15 million annually to keep him in New England. This wouldmake him the best paid cornerback in the NFL, while still giving him a great chance to win another ring. The problem is, that Revis would basically take up the Patriots entire cap space, leaving the Patriots with some holes on the depth chart. This is also only under the assumption that the Patriots would let Browner take his services elsewhere, which would be a risky move. Because if they are unlucky, they will lose their top two cornerbacks.

Dec 7, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers wide receiver Malcom Floyd (80) makes a catch as New England Patriots cornerback Brandon Browner (39) defends during the third quarter at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

The problem for the Patriots is that they don’t have many other places to save money. Cutting wide receiver Danny Amendola is an option that would save them $2.1 million in cap space. But there is also the matter of $3.6 million in dead money. Tackle Nate Solder is simply making too much money for his skill set. If they could reach a long-term agreement with him, they could lower this years cap hit by a substantial amount. The last option to me is cutting tight end Michael Hoomanawanui, which could save them about $1.5 million.

To me, at least two of the previously mentioned moves must happen. I think offensive linemen Dan Connolly is very important. He is a cheap and versatile lineman who can play anywhere on the offensive line. Still, Revis must be the priority – especially because his other top suitors seem to be inside the division.

The cap space is currently not there for the Patriots to re-sign Revis. I do imagine that there is a very likely chance that it will be there by tomorrow afternoon, since that is when Browner’s and Amendola’s roster bonuses are due. I believe that they will make the cap space and re-sign him – realizing how important he was to last years success.

While this may lead to the Patriots being a little weak in other areas, I think Revis will more than make up for it. While the Patriots normally stick to their next-man-up mentality, Darrelle Revis is the best cornerback in the NFL and not replaceable.

Next: Darrelle Revis likely to stay

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