Darrelle Revis could play for veteran minimum in 2017

Now that Darrelle Revis has put his legal issues in the rearview, the veteran defensive back says he is focused on finding a place to play in 2017. While he appeared genuinely washed up last season, his financial situation could make him quite employable.

The New York Jets released Revis with $6 million guaranteed left on his contract. With a guaranteed salary of at least $6 million for 2017, Revis could conceivably decide he has no problem signing with a team for the veteran minimum.

Unless a team pays Darrelle Revis more than $6M, he’ll play for the minimum. Why? #Jets owe him $6M with offsets. They cover costs up to $6M

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 16, 2017

For a player like Revis with 10-plus years of NFL experience, the veteran minimum will be around $1 million for next season. The language in his contract with New York states that the Jets receive a credit for any money Revis makes from another team in 2017, meaning they would have to pay him $5 million if he plays under a $1 million salary elsewhere. If Revis finds a team to sign him for $6 million or more, the Jets are off the hook.

The question, then, becomes how determined Revis is to prove he can still play at a high level. If he wants to play for the veteran minimum for one season (while still making a total of $6 million), he might try to do something similar to what he did with the New England Patriots a few years back.

Revis is clearly past his prime and reports like this will almost certainly scare some teams away, but he’ll be 32 when the 2017 season begins. Should he play somewhere at a high level, there’s no reason he can’t continue his career for two or three seasons beyond that.