OLD MAN AND
Aging Revis to face Jets next Sunday
DARRELLE Revis has finally found a new home.
The former Jets cornerback signed with the Chiefs on Wednesday, Kansas City announced in a statement. The Jets face the Chiefs next weekend at MetLife Stadium.
“Darrelle is a proven player in this league and we are excited to add him to our secondary,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said in the release. “He’s had a Hall of Fame career and his leadership and playing experience will be valuable to our defense.”
After returning to Gang Green on a five-year deal in 2015, Revis spent the past two seasons with the Jets before he was released in late February — part of a veteran purge by general manager Mike Maccagnan that also included Nick Mangold, Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall. Owner Woody Johnson, who is now serving as Donald Trump’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, was the driving force behind Maccagnan originally inking Revis to the $70 million deal in March of 2015.
The Jets still owed Revis $6 million this season, the remaining money of the $39 million guaranteed he signed for more than two years ago. That figure will end up being closer to $5 million, as there is offset language in the contract and the Chiefs are giving Revis the veteran minimum this season, according to multiple reports. Either way, assuming Revis takes the field in East Rutherford next Sunday, the Jets will actually be paying to play against the cornerback.
Per NFL.com, Revis’ contract is a two-year deal with no guaranteed money in 2018. Revis, 32, will be wearing No. 24, according to the Chiefs’ team reporter.
“The reason for me returning is the fire I have, the fuel I have to continue to play this game at a high level,’’ Revis told reporters in Kansas City. “My role is to help win. Whatever is best for the team, whether my position is playing a few downs or playing in the slot, wherever Coach wants to play me and feels he can utilize me
to help win.’’
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Revis could play as soon as this Sunday in a home game against the Bills.
“It’s just a matter of getting him back into the swing of things,” Reid said. “I’d think his role would be to step in and be a starter. That’s how I’d look at it.”
The Chiefs are a logical destination for Revis, who has been training in South Florida for the past several months with his eyes on an eventual NFL return. Kansas City defensive coordinator Bob Sutton was the Jets’ DC when the organization selected Revis in the first round of the 2007 draft. Sutton spent 12 seasons with the Jets from 2000-12, filling multiple roles. Sutton joined the Chiefs in 2013.
“He knows the system,” Reid said.
Revis’ second stint with the Jets — he played his first six seasons for Gang Green from 2007-12 — ended rather unceremoniously this past winter. Once one of the greatest cornerbacks to ever play the game, Revis saw his skills and production diminish significantly in 2016, starting in Week 2 against the Bills, when receiver Marquise Goodwin burned the aging cornerback for an 84-yard touchdown.
Revis’ season only unraveled from there, as the Jets suffered through a miserable 5-11 campaign. Led by Revis in the secondary, the Gang Green finished third to last in the league in opposing passer rating. In November of 2016, a Revis confidant told the Daily News that the cornerback had “tanked” the season.
“He’s done,” the confidant said. “If he had his way, he’d be done right now. He doesn’t want to play anymore.”
Earlier in November, Revis told the Daily News that he wasn’t playing up to his Pro Bowl level because he was “old.” He told another outlet in October that his “body’s breaking down.”
Then on Feb. 12, after the season, Revis was involved in an early-morning altercation on the streets of Pittsburgh. He was later charged with four felonies and one misdemeanor after turning himself in to authorities.
The charges were dropped, but not before the Jets parted ways with Revis, who thanked the organization in a Twitter post on his way out.