Why does it seem that, thus far in free agency, the rich have been getting a hell of a lot richer?
Not only have the Denver Broncos dramatically improved their defense with the addition of DeMarcus Ware, T.J. Ward and Aqib Talib, but now the New England Patriots have upgraded on the loss of Talib by signing the best free agent on the market, and arguably the best cornerback in football, Darrelle Revis.
The Patriots are paying Revis $12 million for his services in 2014, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, but why the hell not? This is a team that generally stays away from expensive free agents, and they had almost $17 million to spend prior to this move, according to OvertheCap.com.
They weren't going to spend that money anyway. And if they did, even a group of mid- or low-level signings wouldn't have had the potential impact of a guy like Revis, who is an ideal coverage corner for their system and could put that defense over the top.
In the constant tit for tat battle between AFC heavyweights Denver and New England, this is the perfect response.
Revis has been the game's best corner for half a decade, and that was even the case coming back from a torn ACL in 2013. Despite recovering from said injury while locked in an unfavorable system, the 28-year-old allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete only 41.2 percent of their passes against him for an average passer rating of 45.6, according to Pro Football Focus, who ranked him as the NFL's top player at that position.
Talib, who isn't half the player Revis is, is getting only $2.5 million less per year, but he's signed for six years and is a year older than Revis. Talib is guaranteed $26 million, while Revis and the Patriots can divorce each other after next season without any repercussions.
It all makes you wonder what the non-heavy hitter are thinking. I mean, 15 teams had more cap space than the Patriots, according to Spotrac. Why not invest $12 million for one season in a guy who can change your defense? The Raiders, Browns, Jets, Colts, Bengals, Dolphins, Packers, Bills and Eagles could have made this move without batting an eye, but they didn't.
The Patriots had the guts to pull the trigger, just as the Broncos did with Ware, Ward and Talib.
And that's why the rich get richer.
