It didn’t take long for the Patriots to feel some fallout from Darrelle Revis’ contract.
The ink on Revis’ two-year, $32 million deal — which is essentially $12 million for one year — wasn’t even dry before longtime defensive stalwart Vince Wilfork could be heard demanding his release.
It was a stunning turn of events, considering Wilfork and Tom Brady have been the face of the franchise for years and are the only current Patriots left from the last time New England won a Super Bowl.
Wilfork played in just four games last year before tearing his Achilles tendon, and the Patriots were hoping to talk the 32-year-old former All-Pro into reworking his deal to lower the scheduled $11.6 million salary-cap number assigned to him this year.
But Wilfork apparently took that request and the Patriots’ willingness to shower an outsider like Revis with $12 million as an insult in light of his years of loyalty, and Wilfork now wants out.
Though Wilfork’s ability to come back from such a serious injury as a torn Achilles is a serious question mark, he was one of the most dominant defensive linemen in football as recently as 2012 and is an anchor on the field and in the locker room for the otherwise youthful Patriots’ defense.
New England went 12-4 and made the AFC Championship Game last season, but the Pats’ run defense certainly suffered in Wilfork’s absence. The Patriots went from ninth in the league against the run in 2012 all the way to 30th last season.
Like the sight of Revis in a Patriots uniform, Wilfork playing somewhere other than New England next year is going to be strange, indeed.
Speaking of Revis, there’s a strong chance he will be playing for his fourth team in four years in 2015 despite getting a two-year deal from the Patriots.
That’s because the contract appears designed to force the Patriots to cut him after the upcoming season to avoid a $20 million cap figure in 2015, assuming the Patriots can’t renegotiate a longer extension before then.
The Patriots can’t get around that by applying the franchise tag, either. Revis shrewdly got New England to agree to a clause forbidding it.
Steve Smith really, really, really doesn’t like the Panthers, his newly former team.
The veteran wide receiver was released Thursday after forcing his exit the day before, and Smith went on radio in Charlotte to blast Carolina and second-year GM Dave Gettleman for what Smith considers disrespect and disloyalty.
“I want to make sure that whatever team I go to, they’re going to get the best, in shape 35-year-old guy they can get,” Smith said. “If that happens to run through Bank of America Stadium, put your goggles on cause there’s going to be blood and guts everywhere.”
Smith is rumored to be headed to the Ravens, who face Carolina in a non-conference game. Alas for Smith, it’s scheduled for M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
Though the Cowboys finished 32nd in the NFL in total defense last season, losing defensive cornerstones DeMarcus Ware and Jason Hatcher in a span of 24 hours had to hurt.
A day after Ware signed with the Broncos, Hatcher bolted for the archrival Redskins for a four-year, $27.5 million deal that will pay the 32-year-old defensive tackle almost as much as Hatcher made in his career to this point.
It’s a great move for Washington — Hatcher is one of the more underrated and productive tackles in the league — and a bitter pill for Jerry Jones and the Cowboys, who continue to pay the price for their continuing mismanagement of the salary cap.
Chip Kelly got another versatile playmaker for his offense.
The Eagles acquired running back Darren Sproles from the Saints for a fifth-round draft pick. The Eagles also agreed on a two-year contract with former Dolphins cornerback Nolan Carroll.
The 30-year-old Sproles is coming off one of his least productive seasons. He ranked in the bottom five among punt returners with a 6.7 yards per return average and was third worst among kick returners with an average of 21.3.
Sproles’ offensive numbers also went down for the third straight year. He had 71 catches for 604 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 220 yards and two scores.
Rodger Saffold’s bizarre free-agent experience has ended right back where it started.
The Rams re-signed Saffold. The former second-round pick started 44 games in four seasons with the Rams. But he agreed to a five-year, $42.5 million deal with the Raiders on Tuesday, only to have the deal voided when he failed a physical on Wednesday because of a previous shoulder injury.
Jonathan Martin is the newest member of the 49ers, and he’s thrilled for a fresh start to keep playing football.
For anyone who questions why the offensive lineman couldn’t tough things out through a bullying scandal in Miami, he’s unconcerned.
“You could say this or that could have gone differently. Hindsight is 20-20,” Martin said Thursday upon passing a physical. “My focus is 100 percent on the future, moving forward.”
The Titans have signed quarterback Charlie Whitehurst to a multi-year contract. With Whitehurst signing a two-year deal with Tennessee, the Chargers moved quickly, agreeing to terms on a two-year deal with former Jet Kellen Clemens, according to ESPN.com.
The Jaguars signed former Seahawks defensive end Chris Clemons, former Steelers defensive lineman Ziggy Hood and re-signed Jason Babin, who led the team with 7½ sacks in 2013.
The Bengals released linebacker James Harrison, leaving the former Defensive Player of the Year looking for his third team in three seasons.
— with AP