Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis thinks his future in New York will come down to whether or not those in charge of his team have any "class."
"Would I love to be here? Yes," Revis told the New York Post. "Will I be back? That's a great question. My thing would be this: Do the New York Jets want to treat my situation with class or no class? With me being one of the best players in the history of this franchise, do they want me to retire here or not retire here?
"That's the biggest question. It's black and white. It's not very complicated."
Revis did not pull punches in his conversation with the Post and held firm on his belief that today's premier cornerbacks are chasing a mountain summit that he has already climbed time and time again.
"I've been one of the best cornerbacks to ever play this game," Revis said. "I've done a lot of things in this league that a lot of guys currently playing are chasing now. I've impacted the game in a way where it was like, 'Hey, he doesn't give up any catches to the No. 1 (pass catcher).' I set a precedent.
"So, I've done enough. Obviously, everybody's a little bit concerned because that's not what I'm displaying anymore. I can't stay 24 (years old) forever. Every player ages in this game. You've got to understand that. Now, can I still play? Yes, I can still play. This game is a love for me. It's like a girlfriend. And we've been dating for a long time -- many years. She's been great to me and I appreciate it. I love my girlfriend."
Perhaps taking advantage of a cathartic moment, Revis spoke at the tail end of a season that has undoubtedly been his worst. The Jets' secondary has been routinely torched and the 31-year-old is carrying a salary-cap number of more than $15 million for the 2017 season. The Jets will almost certainly need to do something to address the problem. Revis and coach Todd Bowles have been asked many times about a potential move to safety.
This is an unorthodox way for a player to pipeline his opinions to management heading into an offseason where he is a massive cap casualty. Revis has brilliantly leveraged his services into financial gain for years and is now in a different place -- one which will at least force him to take a pay cut if he is intent on remaining with his current team. Do the Jets value the nostalgia of having Revis around above the savings getting rid of him would generate?
