:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/9704443/20120727_jel_ai8_169.0.jpg)
According to a report from Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports,the Glazers are pushing for a trade for Darrelle Revis. The Bucs appear to be the only serious trading partners for the New York Jets, who are desperately trying to trade the NFL's only true shutdown cornerback.
According to Cole, the Bucs are unwilling to part with a 2013 first-round pick in their pursuit of Revis. They may, however, trade a 2014 first-round pick. This along with a refusal of the Jets to let the Bucs speak to Revis or his management is believed to be holding up a deal.
The commitment of ownership to large, splashy deals is a surprise for many, as until last season the Bucs had been near the bottom in team payroll among NFL teams. Since adding head coach Greg Schiano, though, the team appears to have undergone a transformation. The Bucs were the biggest spender in free agency last season, signing Vincent Jackson, Carl Nicks and Eric Wright to big money deals. They've made a splash this season by signing Dashon Goldson to a five-year, $41.75 million deal and are now looking to add Revis, who is believed to be seeking around $15 million per year. This has the feeling of the late 1990s and early 2000s when the Bucs went all-out in their pursuit of a championship, signing among others Simeon Rice and trading away four combined first-round picks for Keyshawn Johnson and Jon Gruden.
Signing Revis would come with some risks, however. The Bucs would lose the ability to sign two quality free agents for the salary he's supposedly seeking, while they will also lose their draft picks and the cheap labor that would come with it. The biggest question mark regarding Revis would be his knee injury, as he's coming off a torn ACL. While ACL inuries are relatively easy to treat these days, the Bucs do not know if he'll be able to reach his previous phenomenal level of play. While big free agent signings are always exciting and there's a sense that these players are 'proven', big busts are not uncommon. History shows that consistent contenders are built on the draft, and the Bucs run the risk of bargaining their future for the present.