Darrelle Revis Signs With The New York Jets
BOSTON (CBS) -- Darrelle Revis has agreed to return to the New York Jets.
"I want to thank the Pats and Pats Nation for an unbelievable year," Revis said on Twitter Tuesday night. "NEW YORK I'm coming home."
The All-Pro cornerback became a free agent on Tuesday at 4 p.m., after the Patriots elected to decline the option on his contract for 2015.
Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports the deal for five years and $70 million, with $39 million guaranteed.
Revis, 29, joined the Patriots last offseason after he was released by the Buccaneers. Revis had spent just one season in Tampa Bay after being traded from the Jets in exchange for a pair of picks (a first-rounder in 2013, a fourth-rounder in 2014).
He played in all 16 games last season, registering 47 tackles, two interceptions, 14 passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Widely considered either the best cornerback in football or one of a very select few, Revis played in all three playoff games as well. He intercepted Andrew Luck in the AFC Championship Game, returning the ball 30 yards. LeGarrette Blount scored a touchdown on the next play, extending the Patriots' lead to 38-7 late in the third quarter. In Super Bowl XLIX, Revis was credited with a sack for taking down Russell Wilson two yards behind the line of scrimmage on the final snap of the first quarter. He spent much of the night covering Doug Baldwin, who finished with just one receiving yard on one catch, albeit a touchdown.
The New York Jets initially selected Revis in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft with the 14th overall pick. In 79 games for the Jets, Revis intercepted 19 passes and defensed 97 more. But he suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2012 and was subsequently traded to the Buccaneers. There, he played in 16 games, recorded two INTs and one sack, before being released.
The Jets finished 4-12 last season before firing head coach Rex Ryan and general manager John Idzik and hiring Todd Bowles and Mike Maccagnan in their places, respectively. Jets owner Woody Johnson reportedly intended to make a "serious" push to sign Revis this offseason.
The Patriots could have exercised an option to keep Revis under contract for 2015, but doing so would come with a $25 million cap hit. Instead, the team hoped to work out a new agreement to keep Revis. Earlier this week, the Patriots agreed to a deal with safety Devin McCourty.
