The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have begun making moves to distance themselves from Darrelle Revis. Reports surfaced on Tuesday that the cornerback was on the trade blocks as free agency kicked off and that the team would simply release him if no deal was struck. When the market opened, Tampa Bay replaced him with Alterraun Verner and now wait to make a deal.
The Buccaneers agreed to terms with the former Tennessee cornerback to the tune of a four-year dear, $26.5 million contract. He comes significantly cheaper than Revis and will still offer up the same amount of quality production on the field. He will take over as the Buccaneers' top cornerback as Revis ponders his future.
With a trade highly unlikely in time for Revis to be owed a significant roster bonus, where does he land once released. The New England Patriots are officially the leading candidates to sign Revis. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports the team will make a big push to sign Revis once he becomes available. The first day of free agency saw top Patriots cornerback Aqib Talib sign with the Denver Broncos, leaving the team extremely short-handed.
Several teams have thrown their names in the hat for Revis. The Cleveland Browns and the Oakland Raiders are keeping the cornerback on their radar, but could be outbid by the Patriots. Not bringing back Talib have saved the team money and they are ready to make a move for a marquee player.
So what if the Patriots do not get Revis? The cornerback is reportedly open to re-signing with the New York Jets if the option becomes available. According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, Revis would "love" to rejoin the Jets after the team released Antonio Cromartie.
The Jets would be wise to try and make an offer on Revis and keep him away from the Patriots. Revis of course built his reputation in New York. He fits well into the defensive scheme of head coach Rex Ryan and New York fans might remember, Revis never wanted to leave the team in first place. The cornerback was not thrilled at the idea of getting traded in the first place. He enjoyed being the marquee player of the Jets defense and could target a return.
The Patriots and Jets could get into a bidding war for Revis when he becomes available. By the end of Wednesday, Revis will be a free agent and the target of plenty of teams willing to give him big money once again.
