With issues at corner, do the Jets regret not pursuing Darrelle Revis this offseason?
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After tearing his ACL early in the 2012 season, Revis was up for a contract extension, and was looking for upwards of $16 million a year. Jets GM Woody Johnson wasn't willing to fork up the cash, especially considering the extent of the injury he was coming off of, and elected to trade him to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a mid-first round draft pick.
The Buccaneers shot themselves in the foot on this one, as their new management made the trigger happy move for an elite talent, that just didn't fit well into their scheme. The Bucs made Revis the highest paid defensive back in NFL history when he inked a six year 96 million dollar deal. After realizing their mistake, Tampa did everything they could to try to trade Revis this offseason. When that didn't work, they elected to cut the five time Pro-Bowler, making him a free agent for the first time in his career.
There were a few suitors that came to mind when Revis hit the market, many believed a team with cap flexibility like the Raiders, Eagles or Browns would be able to dish out enough money to land Revis, but in the end it came down to the opportunity to win. Revis shockingly signed a two year deal to play in New England this offseason much to the despair of their rivals, the team that drafted him down in New York.
Tom Brady, who has had to deal with the pestering Revis shutting down his top targets for years is glad to finally have Revis on his side, instead of harassing his receivers.
Via Ian O'Connor, ESPNNewYork:
"You don't know what he sees, or what he knows, but he always is in the right place and has incredible instincts for a corner when sometimes he runs the routes [before] the receivers. He has great intuition and he obviously sees everything on the field. He sees the quarterback, he sees the split of the receiver, he sees the eyes of the receiver, he sees the technique of the receiver coming off the line of scrimmage ... He just sees everything and he makes great breaks on the ball."
With all the hatred between the two teams, many expected the Jets to at least make a run at bringing the all pro corner back to New York, and had they know the Patriots were in contention of landing him, I think they would have.
In the wake of projected starter Dimitri Patterson's suspension indefinitely for dispersing on the team for two days without any contact, the Jets depleted secondary must rely on shaky second year corner Dee Milliner to take on an even larger roll. With Kyle Wilson coming off of a dismal year, there could be serious problems facing the Jets secondary this upcoming season.
New York went from boasting one of the top secondaries in the league just a few years ago, to a dismal group of youngsters and undrafted free agents. Although it may be enjoyable for Patriots fans to see the tables turned on that regard, Woody Johnson and Rex Ryan have got to be kicking themselves for passing on an opportunity to not only bring back the best cornerback they've ever had, but also passing up a chance to keep him away from their biggest rivals as well.
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