The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have announced that Lovie Smith will be the new head coach, taking over for Greg Schiano who was fired earlier in the week. Smith is being considered as the anti-Schiano, bringing in a much different attitude to the Buccaneers. As he gets ready to start rebuilding the team, could a release of Darrelle Revis be the first move made?
Revis did not have the best season with the Buccaneers. The cornerback admitted he next truly felt healthy just a season removed from a torn ACL injury. Revis struggled in the zone coverage plan that Schiano ran in Tampa Bay. He is the type of player that succeeds more in man-to-man coverage where he can create his "island". The issue is that Smith runs a similar scheme to Schiano. Can Revis adapt?
When the former New York Jets cornerback departed for Tampa Bay, he signed a contract that gives him $16 million per year with no guaranteed cash right now. If the Buccaneers opted to get rid of him, they would save at least $16 million in salary cap space and cash for the upcoming season. A release also keeps the Buccaneers from giving up the conditional draft picks which was part of the Jets trade deal.
Revis took to Twitter to express just how excited he is over the signing of Smith and is ready to continue his future with the team. The cornerback tweeted out, "I'm excited about the future for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Heard some great things about Lovie Smith & can't wait to finally meet him."
Will Revis get the chance? Of course the saved money is nice for a team looking to improve in multiple areas, but keeping Revis should really be a priority for Tampa Bay. The three-time All-Pro cornerback can still be elite no matter how he looked this season. He will be back healthy next season and face it, Smith is a better coach than Schiano. If he can figure out how to use Revis, the Tampa Bay secondary will be deadly.
Schiano finally started using Revis more in man coverage late in November, when it was too late. But, the Buccaneers were more competitive in the final stretch of the season. Their secondary was a large part of that.
There is no confirmation that the Buccaneers will release the cornerback just one season removed from their draft-day trade. But, Revis' salary certainly does not work in his favor. Smith will be looking to make his mark early and the cornerback could be the first one on the block.
