Darrelle Revis and the New York Jets did not part ways on good terms a year ago, but that doesn’t mean the All-Pro cornerback was opposed to a reunion. In fact, Revis may have actually wanted to go back to New York once it became evident that his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was over.
A source reportedly told the NY Daily News that Revis put together a list of teams he would like to play for “based on non-economic reasons” when he knew the Bucs were going to dump him. The Jets were supposedly at the top of that list. The Patriots were second.
There were a few reports about Revis reaching out to the Jets when he was released by the Bucs, but nothing ever came to fruition. General manager John Idzik reportedly never called Revis’ agents, at which point Revis had no interest in starting a bidding war and signed with the Patriots.
Jets owner Woody Johnson is the one who ordered Idzik to trade Revis last offseason. Revis had held out twice, and there’s a good chance Johnson was tired of his business-above-all-else attitude. You know Rex Ryan would have loved for Revis to return to New York, but that decision is not up to him.
“We knew, everybody knew, that he was going to want north of $10 million for this season,” a Jets source told the Daily News. “We weren’t going to pay a corner that. That was pretty obvious. Would we have liked to have him play here again? Sure, for $2 million.”
Did Revis sign with the Patriots just to stick it to the Jets? I highly doubt it, though I’m sure his decision became more gratifying when he realized New York had no interest in bringing him back. By joining New England, Revis has given himself an opportunity to make a ton of money in 2014 while contending for a Super Bowl. After that, he can either sign a massive contract with the Patriots or elsewhere. He’s in a perfect spot with or without the Jets.
