Steve Serby

Steve Serby

NFL

Darrelle Revis not worth the money he’ll surely demand

Darrelle Revis wanted to be a Jet For Life, and race to Canton on roller skates.

If he hopes for a happy homecoming and magical reunion with coach Rex Ryan, at a time when the Jets are desperate for a cornerback now that Vontae Davis is a Colt, it only can happen on Woody Johnson and John Idzik’s terms, not Revis’, for a change.

The Buccaneers are expected to release Revis on Wednesday, and green-and-white romantics are clamoring for a marriage that once upon a time was made in heaven.

Not now. Not for $16 million a year.

The Bucs stopped there, and it would be prudent for the Jets to stop there as well.

Revis is a year removed from left knee surgery, and is, at worst, one of the top three or four corners in the game. And the Jets, after whacking Antonio Cromartie and Santonio Holmes, have nearly $40 million free agent dollars to spend.

But not on a $16 million cornerback.

Sometimes you can’t go home again. And unless Revis, who never met a dollar he didn’t like, suddenly were to show up at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center knocking on Johnson’s door, hat in hand, inside which is an offer the owner could not refuse, the Jets would be better served to pursue a younger, cheaper option opposite Dee Milliner — barring an unforeseen, panicked, 11th-hour desperation now that Alterraun Verner and Vontae Davis are no longer in play .

Revis, 29 in July, wasn’t worth $16 million a year ago when Idzik traded him, and he isn’t worth $16 million now.

There was a time when Johnson (and former GM Mike Tannenbaum) were keen on the idea of keeping Revis a Jet For Life, but that time came and passed once Johnson tired of the Revis camp’s persistent renegotiation wishes and exiled him away to Revis Island to a salivating Greg Schiano.

Here we are a year later, and Schiano is gone, and Revis is going, going, gone.

Those who cried last April that you don’t trade your best player missed the point. If you are going to pay a player $16 million, try to make sure it’s your quarterback in this quarterback-driven league.

Ryan, who enters a playoffs-or-bust season after three straight years out of the postseason, would plaster a Revis tattoo on his left arm to coach him again. But Ryan isn’t in charge of the salary cap.

Idzik, who believes that the draft is the true lifeline, needs offensive playmakers, a backup or bridge quarterback, a safety, a guard and a right tackle now that Austin Howard signed a five-year, $30 million deal with the Raiders.

What he doesn’t need, the last thing he needs, is a $16 million cornerback.

The going rate for free-agent corners (Sam Shields, Packers; Davis, Colts) has been set at $9.8 million. Verner on Tuesday night signed with the Bucs (four years, $26 million, $14 million guaranteed). Revis, of course, deserves more. But not $16 million.

After a season in hell in Tampa, Revis just might be inclined to join Bill Belichick in New England, where he could chase that elusive first Super Bowl ring and shove it to Johnson and Idzik at the same time. And Belichick suddenly needs Revis to replace Aqib Talib (Broncos). The Browns, with former Jets defensive coordinator Mike Pettine at the helm, would love to pair him with Joe Haden, and form a Legion of Doom in the AFC North. The Jeff Fisher Rams are hyperventilating over the prospect of Revis helping Robert Quinn and Chris Long sack Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick.

Revis was always a great player, right from the start, one of the greatest Jets of all time. But for the owner, he had become a great headache. Unless Revis comes calling offering a hometown discount out of left field, the Jets should leave him on Revis Island. They can’t afford to corner the market on fiscal irresponsibility (see Santonio Holmes, Mark Sanchez).

“Sometimes players come back. … If Darrelle feels like it’s in his best interests to come back, those are worthwhile conversations to pursue,” former Tannebaum said Tuesday on ESPN Radio.

No argument there. But only on the Jets’ terms. Not Revis’. Not anymore.