The Niners Should Just Say No to A Darrelle Revis Trade

July 29, 2012; Cortland, NY, USA; New York Jets defensive back Darrelle Revis (24) walks out to the practice field prior to the start of training camp at SUNY Cortland. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

A Darrelle Revis trade doesn’t make sense for the San Francisco 49ers. They have rumored interested in the coveted New York Jets’ cornerback, but he would hinder their long-term plans.

While adding a player, who many people believe is one of the best at his position, sounds like a great idea. The Niners should avoid trading for Darrelle Revis, as the cost and risk to the long-term health of this club is just simply too high.

Let us tackle the main problem I have with this deal first—his contract. Technically, he is under contract for four more years. Next year, Revis’ contract figures are a $3 million dollar base salary and $6 million in bonuses for a possible cap hit of $9 million. You might be thinking that $9 million for one of the best corner backs in the league is a bargain.

The bad news, though, is that those last three years are all player options years. These years carry $3 million in base salary and bonuses each, for a $6 million dollar cap hit. That would not rank Revis anywhere close to top corner back money as the top three corner backs would have a cap hit of $12 million or more.

It is pretty obvious that Revis will opt out of the contract following next season. So that would then turn Revis into a one- year rental, or you back up the armored car for his next contract.

I also feel strongly that adding Revis will be detrimental to the team health. As the cost of adding Revis will hinder the team’s ability to add much needed depth to the team in this year’s draft.

The Niners really need some young bodies that can come in and create an impact on the defensive line, especially as Justin Smith gets a year older. Plus, Issac Sopoaga and Ricky Jean-Francois will both be unrestricted free agents this offseason, so added depth on the outside and interior is vital for continued to success on defense.

Their best chance to find some quality defensive line talent is actually in the draft, as the talent pool is quite deep, and they have a surplus of picks. There are also several quality defensive backs that will be available with the Niners’ first three picks.

The money involved with adding Revis would severely inhibit San Francisco within a couple of years, as his monetary demands would be around the $12 to $15 million dollar range.

Sept 23, 2012; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis (24) is attended to after being injured in the second half in a game against the Miami Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

The Niners have several key contracts coming up in the off-season. The big one is Dashon Goldson, who will be looking for a long-term deal after playing this year after playing with the franchise tag this season. Despite Goldson’s shortcomings in coverage, his ability to create plays for the Niners’ defense has been vital to the team.

Also coming up in the offseason, are the contracts of Issac Sopoaga, Andy Lee, Delanie Walker and Ricky Jean-Francois. I believe that resigning Sopoaga will be even more important due to the ineffectiveness of Jean-Francois showed in his increased opportunities when Justin Smith was out.

Simply, the Niners would have to send a big contract back to the Jets in return for Revis to seal this deal financially.

At this point Revis, would be a luxury to team that quite frankly does not need him. The Niners’ secondary is relatively solid with Carlos Rogers, the underrated Terell Brown and the improving Chris Culliver. This year’s draft is important for the Niners because they have the ability to add talent at key positions. Who will be the next Aldon Smith? The Niners should just avoid the potential headaches that will come with adding Revis.