Report: Packers Interested in Revis

According to Mike Freeman of CBS Sports, multiple league sources constantly mention Green Bay as a possible trade partner for New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis.

It certainly is surprising that the Packers would be interested in Revis, as Ted Thomspon treats draft picks like gold and Revis would certainly cost some high picks. However, the Packers have been involved in some in trade talks for high profile players like Marshawn Lynch, Randy Moss and Tony Gonzalez, so it's not impossible.

On the surface the move appears to make no sense for the Packers. Revis is coming off a torn ACL and will cost draft picks and the Packers would have to give him a new contract. It would seem like the total anti Ted Thompson move. However, there have been multiple reports that Thompson was in love with Revis in the 2007 draft and wanted to trade up for him. Also, the Packers have a lot of players on their roster who could be traded.

While there is probably little to no chance it happens, trading for Revis would certainly not be the worst decision the Packers ever made. I am not somebody who always advocates trading for and signing the big name player and I am certainly an advocate of Thompson's draft and develop system. However, Revis is a once in a generation player who every NFL team should be interested in trading for.

While it's true that cornerback is one of the Packers' strongest positions that should not preclude them from getting Revis. Revis is not only the best cornerback in the NFL, but he is in a class of his own. He is likely a future HOF and at only age 27 he is still in his prime. Assuming he makes a full recovery from his torn ACL, Revis would completely change the way the Packers play defense.

Revis is the true definition of a shut down corner. The fact that you can put him on an island against the opposing team's best wide receiver and not have to worry about him at all is huge. It allows you to do so many other things with your defense. You can cover up other weaknesses on your defense and can get more creative with your blitzes. The Jets were able to have a pretty good pass rush without an good pass rusher and a lot of that was because of Revis' abilities.

Another argument against Revis is that the Packers need to pay Aaron Rodgers, Clay Matthews and B.J. Raji and don't have the cap space for Revis. However, the Packers have plenty of ways of creating room for Revis. Jeff Saturday's retirement cut $3.75 million off the cap today. Greg Jennings' deal was worth $9.2 million and is now gone. Charles Woodson won't come back at a $10 million cap hit and AJ Hawk is a potential cap casualty at $5.45 million. Also, if Revis were to come here Tramon Williams and his $6.5 million cap hit would be easily expendable.

Making those moves would clear a lot of money off the cap. Also, if it came down to signing Revis or Raji long term I would take Revis easily. Revis is beyond elite at his position, while Raji hasn't been elite the last two seasons. Revis would have a much greater impact on the defense than Raji has.

Having Revis and Matthews on the defense would give the Packers a very good chance to be an elite defense. All they would need to do is improve the defensive line. A secondary of Revis and Sam Shields on the outside with Casey Hayward in the slot would be scary good.

One might wonder why the Jets are willing to trade Revis. The Jets are a bottom line organization who cares about money first and winning second. They have had trouble selling tickets and are in salary cap hell. They cannot afford to give Revis a big deal and want to get something for him rather than letting him walk. Just because the Jets are trading Revis does not mean something is wrong with him.

The chances of the Packers trading for Revis are slim to none, but it is still a fun possibility to talk about. All I am saying is that it is something they should consider doing. You win in the NFL with elite players and with Rodgers, Matthews and Revis on one team the Packers would surely be in contention for a Super Bowl for years to come because those players can cover so many other weaknesses.