NEW YORK (AP) — Revis Island: The Return.
All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis is coming back to the New York Jets after winning the Super Bowl with the rival New England Patriots last season.
Revis agents Neil Schwartz and Jon Feinsod wrote on Twitter on Tuesday night that “pending legal,” Revis had agreed to terms on a new deal with the Jets.
The five-year contract is worth $70 million, with $39 million guaranteed. He’ll make $33 million in the first two years, and $48 million in the first three.
Revis had two interceptions last season while helping the Patriots win the Super Bowl, but New England declined a $20 million option for 2015 — including a $12.5 million roster bonus — making him a free agent — and a top target for the Jets and new general manager Mike Maccagnan.
The cornerback would have counted $25 million against the Patriots’ salary cap this year, and it was expected New England wouldn’t pay that exorbitant amount. But the Jets were aggressive in bringing back one of their biggest stars in recent years, two years after an ugly divorce.
Now, Revis is going back to where he spent his first six NFL seasons before being traded to Tampa Bay in 2013.
He instantly upgrades the Jets’ secondary, a weak spot last season after then-GM John Idzik failed to sufficiently upgrade through free agency, and young cornerbacks Dee Milliner and Dexter McDougle suffered season-ending injuries.
Revis was New York’s first-round pick in 2007 after then-GM Mike Tannenbaum traded up to No. 14 to draft the former University of Pittsburgh star. Revis quickly established a reputation on the field as a shutdown cornerback, routinely holding wide receivers to quiet games and causing quarterbacks to shy away from his side of the field.
He was considered by many to be so dominant at his position that he earned the nickname “Revis Island” for leaving opposing wide receivers stranded.
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