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Darrelle Revis was a 4x First Team All-Pro, 7x Pro Bowler, and a Super Bowl champion.

But guess what? He was even better off the field, and I'll explain exactly how he did it.

I know what you're thinking... "He was a great player of course he got paid!"

You're technically right but, Revis was the best at maximizing his value every year of his contract, rather than accepting the traditional deals that everyone else was taking.

Even if it meant ruffling some feathers.

Revis Holds Out After Being Drafted

During the old CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement), teams were able to sign players to a rookie deal for up to 6 years, but normally this only happened to the top 5-10 picks in the draft.

A 6-year contract allowed teams to keep great players on their rookie deals (lower salary), giving them cap flexibility to have a better team overall.

Revis however was drafted 14th overall.

Due to this Revis would hold out for some time as a rookie, arguing this point, and wanting additional incentives in his contract, if the 6th year was to be added.

After 20 days, the two sides were able to come to an agreement.

The team received a 6th year on Revis's contract, and incentives were added where if Revis were to become a great player, he had the opportunity to earn like a top 10 player.

A win-win for both sides.

Revis Holds Out Year 3 of His Rookie Deal

In 2009, Revis showcased one of the greatest seasons a Corner has ever had, holding the best receivers to under 35 yards including:

• Randy Moss (Hall of Famer)
• Terrell Owens (Hall of Famer)
• Reggie Wayne (Hall of Fame Finalist)
• Andre Johnson (Hall of Fame Finalist)
• Chad Ochocinco (FIFA player & Mcdonald's Enthusiast)

He believed that he had outperformed his contract, as he was set to make $1 million in base salary, so he did what paid off for him many times in his career.

He used his elite-level play as leverage for a higher-earning contract, despite risking having future $ guarantees voided & enduring fines.

This back then, was not normal, especially in the middle of a contract.

However, Revis was arguably the best at his position, and perhaps the best Defensive player period at the time, on a playoff team with Super Bowl aspirations.

The team couldn't risk trading him or releasing him, and keeping their star player unhappy wouldn't benefit anyone.

Revis ended up holding out for 35 days and receiving a new contract.

Under his old contract, Revis was set to make $21 million over the next 3 years.

Another interesting thing to add is that after this holdout, the Jets added a clause that stated:

Revis Tears ACL & New GM Comes to Town

Players play at risk of being injured every single play, and 2 years later Revis tore his ACL and missed the majority of the season.

The Jets finished the season at a disappointing 6-10 and fired their General Manager.

Remember... Revis had already received his $32.5 million in those 2 seasons as it was front-loaded and was set to make much less in the upcoming year, making him contemplate holding out once again.

A New GM came in reportedly uninterested in dealing with a potential holdout by Revis and ended up trading the star cornerback to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a first-round pick, and a conditional pick.

A condition of the trade was paying Revis a new contract, which they indeed did.

Assuming he was able to regain his previous form, the Bucs were getting a stud player to build their defense around, while Revis was happy with his mega contract.

Unfortunately, things didn't go exactly as planned on the field.

Despite having one of the best man coverage corners to ever play, the Bucs would play a lot of zone coverage (this one still blows my mind), and end up with a shocking (not really) 4-12 record.

After only a year on the roster, the Bucs realized they were way worse than they thought, and needed to rebuild.

Unable to find a trade partner that was willing to give up picks and pay his mega-contract, the Buccaneers cut Revis.

Revis Becomes a Free Agent

Normally when players become free agents for the first time, they want to cash in.

However, having had not-so-great back to back seasons including a torn ACL, into a season where he didn't stand out much, while playing plenty of zone coverage on a bad team... Revis chose a safer option.

What's the easiest way to set yourself up where everyone can see your skills? Play on a good team.

He banked on himself to regain his form, with a coach that knew what he was doing (hello Bill Belichick), and that could maximize his strengths to help the team, and himself.

Boy was this one of the best moves he made.

Revis regained the lockdown version of himself, becoming a huge asset to the Patriot's defense, going 12-4 and winning the Super Bowl.

Revis is a Free Agent Again

The last time he was a free agent, he didn't have much leverage, but this time, he had all the leverage.

On top of that, he was 30 years old and knew his prime years were ending in the next few years, as most corners fall off into their 30s.

This was the last noteworthy deal that Revis signed, as about a year later his play began to noticeably decline, and the Jets cut ties with him after only 2 seasons.

Was Revis Selfish?

In a way, he absolutely was selfish as his holdouts and contracts undoubtedly impacted the team in some way.

However, in a collision sport where teams rarely honor contracts (and will cut you a day after praising you), it's one of the smartest moves that he continually made.

He had the rare career of being able to get paid and land massive contracts multiple times, while also adding a Super Bowl to his resume.

It's important to know that none of this would be possible if he wasn't the caliber of player that he was.

If an average player tried to renegotiate their contract in the middle of their contract, they'd be cut or traded in a heartbeat.

Huge credit should go to his agents for allowing him to focus on on-the-field stuff, while they focused on achieving the numbers that he wanted off the field.

Corner Contracts Today

When Revis landed the largest contract of his career, he'd earn $16 million per year.

Today, there are already 8 corners earning more than that per year.

If we used the 'safe' contract Revis with the Bucs at $12 million per year, today there are 15 corners earning more than that, and only a handful of them are even considered elite.

It's insane how much higher the contracts have become, as money has been poured into the league.

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