Although the Jets have many problems, Darrelle Revis declared yesterday he still absolutely wants to stay here long-term.
Revis, the NFL’s finest cornerback, is entering the final season of his contract. The Jets are 6-13 in their last 19 games, there is massive organizational instability and quarterback uncertainty and a huge amount of off-the-field chaos. Nevertheless, Revis wants to remain a Jet.
“I definitely want to be here,” he said. “This is where I live. This is the team I got drafted by. I owe a lot to them as much as they do. I’m here. I don’t want to go anywhere else.
“If anything, all the stuff that’s been going on, I’m here to fight through it and help this team to be positive and win games. That’s all I want to do.”
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That’s another reason why Revis is so valuable: He represents the organization well. His comments yesterday call to mind David Wright’s situation with the Mets, with whom the third baseman opted to sign a contract extension despite the team’s woes.
Still, Revis’ Jets future is tricky. It had been believed this offseason he and the team would negotiate a long-term deal. But in Week 3, Revis tore the ACL in his left knee. So now what? Do the Jets trade Revis at some point? And can they even do that since he’s coming off major knee surgery? Can they risk letting him play out next season and hit the free-agent market? They would get nothing if he leaves.
Meanwhile, general manager Mike Tannenbaum’s firing alters things too. Tannenbaum and Revis’ camp had butted heads multiple times, on Revis’ rookie contract and his holdout three years ago. A new GM could have a better chance to handle things with Revis long-term, but how that new GM will feel about committing to Revis is unknown.
“Right now, I’m not even focused on [my contract],” Revis said. “I’ve got to get this knee back to 100 percent and that’s all I’m focused on.”
Revis, who called Tannenbaum’s firing “really sad,” believes he will be at full strength by the time next season comes. Revis maintained he believes in quarterback Mark Sanchez, but did admit the Jets need to add offensive playmakers. He declined comment when asked if they had enough playmakers this season.
Revis also thinks there need to be fewer anonymous attacks surrounding the team, wanting a more encouraging locker room.
“We’ve all got to stick together as a team,” he said. “No matter if you’re the best player on the team, down to the punter, the kicker, everybody has to play their part, and we’ve got to stick together.If you don’t, if that happens, then it can affect the football team if you be negative.“We probably need to do a little bit better job of that. Just sticking together. Just play football and lift your teammates up.”