Legendary CB Darrelle Revis Returns To NY To Mark Retirement From NFL
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - New York Jets welcomed Darrelle Revis into their Legends Community on Tuesday as the four-time All Pro and seven-time Pro Bowl selection officially marked his retirement at the team's Atlantic Health Jets Training Center.
The former Jets cornerback announced on social media on July 18 he was ending an 11-season career that included eight seasons with Gang Green. He also played one season with the rival New England Patriots, earning a Super Bowl championship, and a season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He left the Jets for the Kansas City Chiefs last season.
"Today, I am closing a chapter in my life that I once dreamed of as a kid," Revis posted to Twitter earlier this month. "The game of football has opened doors for me I once thought were nearly impossible to get through. My passion to play the game at an elite level brought fun and excitement to the term 'shutdown corner' which was nearly on the verge of extinction.
"When I had him, obviously Darrelle was in the prime of his career, and there wasn't anybody close to him," Rex Ryan said earlier this month. "Maybe Deion (Sanders) in his prime, but that would be the only guy.
"Darrelle could handle anybody. I don't care if it's Hall of Fame guys, he locked them down and covered them and it wasn't even close."
Revis had 29 career interceptions, returning three for touchdowns, including a 100-yarder against Miami. In 2009, he was beaten out by Charles Woodson for Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Darrelle Revis Retirement Ceremony - July 24, 2018
"That season, he was far and away the most dominant player in the NFL on defense; that he never got (defensive) MVP that year, people are crazy," said Ryan, now an analyst for ESPN. "The impact this guy had, and on the best defense in the league, I thought he should have won that."
Revis excelled against the best, taking the likes of Terrell Owens and Steve Smith out of the game with his coverage. After a particularly lopsided first-half matchup with Smith, who was with the Panthers, the receiver asked Ryan to "get this guy off me."
"That ain't going to happen," Ryan told Smith.
Ryan predicted that Revis would be walking into the Pro Football Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible in 2023.
"He dominated every matchup," Ryan said. "He was simply the best."
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
