TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have released cornerback Darrelle Revis, the five-time Pro Bowl cornerback they were unable to trade.
The move Wednesday saved the Bucs a $1.5 million bonus that Revis would have been due if he remained on the roster; his salary is $16 million a year. It also freed salary cap space the team intends to use to continue an overhaul of the roster under new coach Lovie Smith and general manager Jason Licht.
Revis was obtained in a pre-draft trade from the Jets last spring, a deal that cost the Bucs a first-round pick in 2013, as well as a fourth-rounder this year.
If Revis had remained on Tampa Bay’s roster at 4 p.m. Wednesday, he would have been due a $1.5 million bonus and the 2014 pick for the Jets would have become a third-rounder.
Revis was recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee when he joined the Bucs and was given a six-year, $96 million contract. Despite not being 100 percent physically, he appeared in all 16 games and was selected to play in the Pro Bowl last season, when he had two interceptions, a sack and two forced fumbles.