Maccagnan’s on the clock — but that doesn’t mean Revis is a must

He is Money Mike Maccagnan, holding Woody Johnson's $55 million in one hand, the hopes and dreams of long-suffering Jets fans in the other.

This is his personal Super Bowl, authorized by the owner to spend all the greenbacks John Idzik opted to keep under lock and key inside Fort Hard Knocks.

This is his dream job, after all the miles traveled scouting and evaluating prospects around the country, after all the bleary-eyed nights studying the tape, his chance to rebuild the Jets in his image and show the NFL he has the chops to be the miracle worker alongside fellow rookie Todd Bowles that Giants GM Jerry Reese was alongside Tom Coughlin immediately after taking over from Ernie Accorsi.

As free agency beckons, Money Mike will have his honeymoon, albeit a short one if, heaven help him, Jets fans suspect he is nothing close to the young Ron Wolf and a plane flying a "FIRE MACCAGNAN" banner becomes a Pavlovian response.

Idzik trumpeted the draft as the lifeblood of his ill-fated plan, and with 12 picks waiting for him, only stuck his toe in the free-agent waters last March with the likes of Eric Decker, Breno Giacomini, Chris Johnson and — gasp — Dimitri Patterson, compounding his penny-pinching with a two-bit draft.

Money Mike similarly believes in building through the draft, but all avenues will be in play, and when the clock strikes 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Money Mike must show up with an innate feel for the proper market value for the players he and Bowles covet, because he who hesitates is often lost.

"You have to strike when you can," Reese said two years ago, "but other times you have to sit back and wait and let the market settle down a little bit. … I think there are three levels of free agency. I think of the first level, you get the guys out there that are going to get the money right away. Then there's a second level, and then you can bottom feed on the guys left at the end."

Money Mike must be prepared to strike on every one of the aforementioned levels.

Because, you see, Money Mike's thankless mandate is to close the forever gap on Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, without a franchise quarterback or shutdown corner or free safety or No. 1 receiver. In other words, he cannot afford to make a mistake. In other words, he has no margin for error.

Money Mike has to put Johnson's money where Rex Ryan's mouth was. He isn't going to have $55 million in his pockets again, and his new fans have grown tired of waiting for Brady to grow old.

Darrelle RevisPhoto: Getty Images

Reese's free-agent prize as a rookie GM in 2007 was linebacker Kawika Mitchell, but a home-run draft and an emerging Eli Manning had him hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.

Giants fans railed that Reese was asleep at the switch while the Eagles were adding Nnamdi Asomugha to their 8-8 Dream Team, but then that season ended with Reese hoisting a second Lombardi Trophy.

Reese himself authored a cautionary tale on the merits of spending like a drunken sailor a year ago when a surprise $116 million plunge resulted in 6-10, even with first-round pick Odell Beckham Jr. becoming quite the catch.

And sometimes, you can think you're making a splash with a big name — think LaVar Arrington (Giants), Super Bowl quarterback Neil O'Donnell (Jets) — and end up all wet.

Three years before DT Albert Haynesworth became the worst free-agent signing in NFL history, the Redskins in 2006 trumpeted the signing of safety Adam Archuleta (six years, $30 million) while also introducing DE Andre Carter and WRs Antwaan Randle-El and Brandon Lloyd. "I think it's a big day for the Redskins," Joe Gibbs said at the time. That would be the 5-11 Redskins.

Johnson getting weepy over a reunion with Darrelle Revis must not deter Money Mike from cornering a more reasonable and younger option such as Byron Maxwell, and besides, the smart money has The Island standing Pat and pursuing back-to-back championships. And Belichick isn't the only bloodthirsty shark endangering Money Mike. Rex Ryan up in Buffalo has LeSean McCoy for his Ground and Pound and will soon be wooing David Harris.

And Mike Tannenbaum in Miami — Trader Mike — will be looking to beat Money Mike to one of the coveted cornerbacks.

Of course, should Money Mike decide to bring a free Revis home, even at any cost, he'll be hailed as an instant hero.

"To my mother, who used to type my reports when I first started scouting for the Washington Redskins — because I wasn't a very good typer at the time — she was my biggest fan," Money Mike said at his introductory press conference.

Money Mike has spent a football life in the shadows, and loving every second along the way. But now he stands front and center on Broadway, on the biggest and brightest stage there is. With as big a job as any. A daunting job that will demand he be Miracle Mike once he finishes being Money Mike.

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