New York Jets: Please Say No to Darrelle Revis

Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back

Marshawn Lynch

(24) runs the ball past New England Patriots cornerback

Darrelle Revis

(24) for a touchdown during the second quarter in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Darrelle Revis. I won’t lie, watching him win a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots was tough to swallow. Once, “Revis Island” was a tourist attraction in East Rutherford, NJ, where wide receivers went to disappear. Now, it’s a small location in New England, where they are champions once again.

Revis was a great player for the New York Jets on the field. No matter how you feel about him, this fact is not in dispute. Prior to his 2012 knee injury, Revis was the most feared cornerback in the NFL. His skills in man to man coverage were second to none. He was the face of Rex Ryan’s defense.

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But, there were problems. They are well-documented. Darrelle Revis held out for money, more than once. He showed himself to not be a team player, more interested in himself than the team. His demands became unreasonable and he was gone.

Revis has not lost all of his fans here in New York. With the free agency period looming, discussion of Darelle Revis has started all over again. He may be released by New England and many fans are calling for a reunion; some say that Revis would be a top addition to Todd Bowles‘ defense.

Many of you have heard me publicly say I don’t want Revis back. Here is why. His short-term benefits are far outweighed by the long-term risks.

Next: PFF Grades

Dec 7, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis (24) gestures after the Patriots beat the San Diego Chargers 23-14 at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Darrelle Revis is still a good player, do not get me wrong. However, he is unequivocally not the same player that he was prior to injuring his ACL in 2012. Let’s look at some grades and metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus. For purposes of this comparison, we are going to compare Revis from his last full year prior to injury (2011), compared to last season, a full season AFTER he returned from injury. We won’t look at 2013, giving him a year to work back to form.

In 2011, Revis posted an overall grade of 24.8. His pass coverage grade was 18.7. Quarterbacks completed only 41.2% of their passes thrown his way, and posted a passer rating of 45.6. In contrast, Revis’ overall grade in 2014 dropped to 19.6, and his pass coverage grade dropped to 15.7. Quarterbacks completed 51.8% of their passes thrown at Revis, and posted a passer rating of 74.7.

Are these huge drops? No. But, are they drops, which could be the start of a trend for a near 30-year-old player with a knee injury in his past? Certainly. They aren’t huge, but they aren’t insignificant either.

Next: Deep Free Agent Market

Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver

Danny Amendola

(80) runs the ball past Seattle Seahawks cornerback

Byron Maxwell

(41) during the first quarter in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The Jets need cornerbacks, and will have to go to free agency for one, maybe two. However, Darrelle Revis is far from the only game in town. We have Antonio Cromartie, who seems to be quite interested in a reunion. However, according to Rich Cimini, Cromartie is not the Jets first choice.

Instead, the Jets will be targeting younger players like Byron Maxwell, Kareem Jackson, and Chris Culliver. The point is that there are quite a few other options. The free agent class at cornerback is deep.

The Jets don’t HAVE to bring back Darrelle Revis.

Next: Age Factor

Jan 29, 2015; Chandler, AZ, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis (24) speaks to reporters during the New England Patriots press conference at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

Age has to be taken into account. Darrelle Revis is going to turn 30 during the 2015 training camp. Even great athletes begin to slow down. 30 is not a good number, especially for a player that uses speed as part of his game. Tack that onto the declining grades that we mentioned earlier in the post, and you may have a player that is already on the decline.

If Revis is avaialble, it will take a multi-year deal to get him. We know Revis for a long time now. Unless he has changed his tune, Revis is not going to settle for a short-term deal. He wants his money and he wants security. His demands will be high. How much should we commit to a cornerback that could already been hitting the twilight of his career?

Next: Financials

Oct 5, 2014; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis (24) is helped off the field after a play against the Cincinnati Bengals during the second half at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots defeated the Bengals 43-17. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Finally, we have the off the field contract issues. We don’t have to go over them, any Jets fans knows what Revis has done in the past. His holdouts dominated the headlines. The antics took the Jets roster hostage. Revis demands a lot of money, which is his right. But, his salary requirements have been prohibitive. He asks for too much money when trying to build a team.

If the Jets were one player away from a run at the Super Bowl, we might have a different discussion. If Revis could take the team over the top, I would be all-in. The Jets are not, so Revis is not the right move.

Next: Potential

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