Bart Scott is making the Jets sweat it out.
Scott's agent and the Jets have agreed in principle on a five-year contract worth roughly $40 million, but Scott has called Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome to give his old/current team a chance to match, according to a league source.
Late last night, before the start of free agency, the Ravens offered about $37.5 million over five, including $24 million in the first three years - an $8 million-a-year average that would equal what the Jets are offering over the length of the deal.
It's believed that Scott still is at the Jets' facility. If he jilts the Jets, it would conjure up memories of the Antoine Winfield dusting in 2004.
Earlier today, the agent, Harold Lewis, told me he had agreed to the basic parameters of a deal with the Jets, but that he was waiting for Scott's okay - still waiting, I suppose.
Meanwhile, there's a development on the Chris Kemoeatu front. Earlier, I reported that the Steelers had dropped out of the bidding - and that's true - but I'm told that he continues to call Steeler officials, hoping to work something out. The Jets are offering a contract that averages $4.2 million-a-year, believed to be higher than the Steelers' offer, but Kemoeatu is said to be torn.
His best friend is Jets DT Sione Pouha, a former teammate at Utah. Who could've ever imagined that Pouha would emerge as a key figure in an intense showdown for a free agent?