One report surfaced late Wednesday night stating that Tampa Bay Buccaneers management is "fully on board" for a Darrelle Revis trade, but a reluctance to relinquish its first-round draft pick is holding up the deal.
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Meanwhile, New York Jets general manager John Idzik is doing his best to salvage some semblance of leverage now that the Bucs' keen interest has been revealed. The Jets are listening to offers but "are not committed to trading Revis," a league source told the New York Post.
According to the report, there now is thought within the organization that Revis could play for the Jets in 2013 after all.
This is where we throw the challenge flag on what certainly appears to be a leak from the Jets' front office. It's a transparent attempt to convince interested teams, as well as Revis' camp, that they are willing to play hardball if their compensation demands aren't met.
Will it work?
With designs on adding a superstar, the Bucs seem to be developing an itchy trigger finger. How can they possibly believe the Jets aren't bluffing, though, when multiple reports suggest the directive to trade Revis came straight from owner Woody Johnson -- Idzik's boss.
As Gregg Rosenthal pointed out, Revis' representatives have to be growing more nervous by the day with available spending money for cornerbacks threatening to dry up by the weekend.
Revis might be forced to make the next move in this high-stakes game of chess. A willingness to accept a more reasonable contract in Tampa Bay could ease the skids for a compromise between the Bucs and Jets.
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.
