Antonio Cromartie stepped into the New York Jets' top cornerback role following a season-ending injury to Darrelle Revis and responded with a Pro Bowl season. Will his reward be a ticket out of town?
ESPNNewYork.com's Rich Cimini reported Sunday morning there is a "a small segment of the organization" that would prefer to trade Cromartie over Revis. The Jets are mired in another Revis contract soap opera, leading to reports this week that the team was looking to move him in a deal.
Trading Cromartie is an intriguing alternative option. While Revis' trade value has never been lower, Cromartie's is just the opposite. Cromartie did an excellent job filling Revis' shoes against No. 1 receivers in the season's final two months, proving he's more than just a second banana in the secondary.
The move has financial merit as well. According to Cimini, trading Cromartie would clear $8.2 million in cap room -- $2.5 million in "dead" money. Dealing Revis will cost the Jets $12 million in dead money (his current cap charge is $9 million).
And then there's the tricky timing element. The Jets would have to re-up with Revis prior to dealing Cromartie, preferably before Cromartie's $2.3 million roster bonus kicks in on March 15. If they deal Cromartie before re-signing Revis, Revis would gain a tremendous amount of leverage.
Moving Cromartie is an option, but it comes with its own set of obstacles.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.
