Report: Revis, Pats agree to 1-year deal

Thursday, March 13, 2014

NEW YORK - Revis Island has become enemy territory.

Just hours after he was released by Tampa Bay, Darrelle Revis found a new home in New England. According to ESPN, the three-time All-Pro cornerback on Wednesday agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Patriots worth $12 million.

But nothing is ever simple when it comes to Revis. Shortly after news of the deal broke, his business manager tweeted: “As of now, nothing has been agreed to with Revis and Patriots.”

As of late Wednesday, the Patriots had yet to announce the deal.

Despite efforts to secure a trade partner willing to absorb Revis’ $16 million yearly salary, the Bucs released him before the 4 p.m. deadline, a move that allowed Revis to become an unrestricted free agent who could sign with any team he wanted.

He reportedly picked the one team Jets fans were hoping he would avoid.

The Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons were among the teams that reportedly expressed interest in his services, but the allure of playing for a perennial playoff contender apparently made the Patriots the favorites to land him.

A league source said Tuesday that Revis would “love” to play for Jets Coach Rex Ryan again and stressed that the cornerback had no hard feelings for the organization after years of contract strife.

“It was only business,” the source said.

During his six years with the Jets, Revis, a first-round pick in 2007, made it clear he wanted to be a Jet for life. Ryan often raved about Revis, whom he called the NFL’s best defensive player.

However, the Jets apparently weren’t pursuing a reunion. A league source told Newsday on Wednesday night that the team “engaged in no substantive discussions about Revis,” adding that “no one spoke to [General Manager] John Idzik” about re-signing him.

The Jets traded Revis to the Bucs last April for a first round pick and a conditional 2014 choice. The Jets used the first-round selection to draft Missouri defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, the eventual defensive rookie of the year. The Bucs signed Revis to a six-year, $96 million deal last off season.

After only one year, Revis was on the market. But not for long.

The Jets have serious holes to fill in their secondary after releasing cornerback Antonio Cromartie, but the Patriots were even more desperate for secondary stability after losing their best cornerback, Aqib Talib, to the Broncos just hours after free agency began Tuesday.

Sports, Pages 26 on 03/13/2014