Well, that didn’t take long.
Ex-Buccaneers cornerback Darrelle Revis has come to terms on a one-year, $12 million contract with the Patriots, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Wednesday night.
Revis was slated to make $16 million with the Buccaneers in 2014, so it appears he may have taken a pay cut. However, he can again hit the market next offseason.
Revis, who turns 29 in July, is widely regarded as one of the NFL’s top cover corners — a player capable of covering top receivers all over the field. He has intercepted 21 passes in seven NFL seasons.
However, this will be his third team in as many seasons. The Jets traded him to the Buccaneers last April for two draft picks, including a first-rounder that became Defensive Rookie of the Year Sheldon Richardson. Then, earlier Wednesday afternoon, the Buccaneers released Revis just one year into a six-year, $96 million deal — which was a series of one-year, $16 million team options.
But even after the Buccaneers bailed, there was little doubt Revis would have a robust market. And in the end, it was New England that got the deal done — and ever so quickly.
For the Patriots, this is the ultimate counterpunch after the Broncos signed away cornerback Aqib Talib on the first day of free agency. It also prevents a Jets-Revis reunion.
And does it ever set up a showdown in Foxborough between Denver and New England in the 2014 regular season.
