Former New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis might have been out of sight to the NFL world this offseason, but he was not out of mind.
Despite an offset language situation in his deal with the Jets that would essentially force him to play for free in 2017, Revis continues to work out and is "putting himself in position that if they are able to strike a deal with some team, he'll be ready to go," NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Saturday on Inside Training Camp Live.
According to the contract site Over The Cap, the Jets are still on the hook for $6 million of Revis' salary for this year -- something they knew full well in early March. That number will do down based on how much Revis signs for with another team, meaning that anything less than $6 million could be turned down without much hesitation. And Revis, coming off unquestionably the worst season of his career in 2017, may be a risk to sign at that number.
The interesting part of this story, though, is that Revis is still a future Hall of Fame player who recently turned 32. His reputation, combined with the relative difficulty of breaking in young cornerbacks, is the reason we're still having this conversation now. There could be plenty of excuses made for why Revis faltered on a directionless Jets team with a muddled defense last year. Teams are interested in finding out how much of that was physical, or if there is anything left in the tank.
Rapoport reported Friday that although many are connecting Revis with the Philadelphia Eagles, there is not "much legit interest."
Revis' eventual pact was always going to come closer to camp if at all. A player with his skillset -- a corner who excels in man coverage bolstered by what was one time an encyclopedic knowledge of receiver tendencies around the league -- doesn't necessarily need a ton of time to plug into a new defense. Then again, it's never been a question of wanting to play for Revis. It's whether or not it makes any sense when the checks are already in the mail.
