Revis Island has reopened for business.
The Chiefs signed former Jets superstar cornerback Darrelle Revis on Wednesday in a stunning late-season move. Revis has been out of work since the Jets released him in March. Now, the Jets will see their former star on Dec. 3 when the Chiefs come to MetLife Stadium in a delicious storyline.
Revis signed a two-year deal with Kansas City, according to the NFL Network. It pays him the minimum salary (plus incentives) this season and $10 million in 2018, according to the report. But the 2018 salary is not guaranteed, so the Chiefs could move on after this year.
“The reason for me returning is the fire I have, the fuel I have to continue to play this game at a high level,” Revis said during a conference call. “My role is to help win. Whatever is best for the team, whether my position is playing a few downs or playing in the slot, wherever Coach wants to play me and feels he can utilize me to help win.”
Revis essentially is playing for free. The Jets owed him $6 million this season, the remaining guaranteed portion of the five-year, $70 million deal he signed in 2015 with the team. The contract had offsets, meaning whatever the Chiefs pay him this year will be deducted from what the Jets owe him. But he won’t make more than the $6 million this season that he would have collected even if he stayed on his couch.
For Revis, this feels like an audition for 2018. He gets to join a team that has playoff aspirations at 6-4 and in first place in the AFC West and showcase what he has left for them and every other team.
“It’s just a matter of getting him back into the swing of things,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid told reporters in Kansas City. “I’d think his role would be to step in and be a starter. That’s how I’d look at it.”
Revis is reunited with Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton, who was his first coordinator with the Jets. Sutton and Revis were together in New York from 2007-11.
“Bob will tell you he is one of the most competitive guys around,” Reid said. “Very intelligent. Very instinctive player. I can tell you this, competing with him from an offensive standpoint: very hard worker, on the field and off. And again, that’s Bob saying it.”
The Jets drafted Revis in the first round of the 2007 Draft. He rapidly became one of the best cornerbacks in the league. He made seven Pro Bowls and was named All-Pro four times. The Jets traded Revis to the Buccaneers in 2013, but re-signed him in 2015. The Jets cut Revis after a disappointing 2016 season. He was bothered by a wrist injury and admitted to being out of shape. Reid said that is no longer a problem.
“I will tell you, he looks great physically,” Reid said. “Time will take a step away from you. That happens. He’s a smart guy that knows how to play the game. But I’m not telling you he still can’t run. He can run.”
