NFL

Revis signs with Patriots despite ‘love’ for Jets

The Jets’ worst nightmare became a reality Wednesday.

Former Jets star cornerback Darrelle Revis signed with the rival Patriots. The $12 million deal is for one year.

The union between Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Revis is the newest development in the border war between New England and the Jets. Revis joins Bill Parcells and Curtis Martin as participants that switched sides in the rivalry.

The Patriots swooped in just hours after the Buccaneers released Revis. Now, the Jets must face Revis twice a year, a thought that must make coach Rex Ryan sick.

There never was much of a chance of a reunion between the Jets and Revis, whom they traded to the Buccaneers last April. Revis’ representatives reached out to the Jets organization Wednesday to try to gauge the team’s interest in a reunion, according to a source. There never were any substantive conversations and general manager John Idzik never even got involved.

Idzik, though, did get into the free-agent action. Late Wednesday night, the Jets signed Eric Decker, the top free-agent receiver on the market, to a reported five-year, $36.25 million deal with $15 million guaranteed. And that was just hours after coming to a deal with offensive tackle Breno Giacomini, who spent the past three seasons as the starting right tackle for the Seahawks.

The Jets were reluctant to bring Revis back after all of the drama that surrounded his six years with the team through contract holdouts and eventually the trade that sent him to Tampa Bay.

Sources said Tuesday Revis would love to return to the Jets and play for Ryan again. A team source said Ryan “absolutely” wanted Revis, but there was a lot of uncertainty high up in the organization whether the Jets wanted to go down the Revis road again.

As soon as Revis became available, there was talk of him landing with the Patriots. That talk picked up when the Patriots lost top cornerback Aqib Talib to the Broncos.

“If the Jets don’t do it, they know who will,” a league source said Tuesday night, referring to the Pats.

When the Jets traded Revis last year, one of the thoughts behind it was they could prevent him from going to the Patriots as a free agent this year. That plan didn’t work.

The Revis camp seemed to be hoping the thought of Revis in a Patriots uniform would force the Jets to jump in and drive up the price. There were hurt feelings last year when Revis was traded away, but Revis made overtures of wanting to return to the Jets. Apparently owner Woody Johnson did not want to go down that road again.

The Jets need a cornerback after releasing Antonio Cromartie this week and missing out on the top free-agent cornerbacks on the market — Talib, Vontae Davis and Alterraun Verner.

Corners Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Captain Munnerlyn, Walter Thurman III and Tarell Brown are still on the market. Munnerlyn is scheduled to visit the Jets, according to the Charlotte Observer. He also plans to visit the Vikings and the Buccaneers.

The Jets also could re-sign Cromartie, but would he return at a lesser number?

Tampa Bay dumped Revis after failing to trade him this week. The Buccaneers acquired Revis from the Jets last April for a first-round pick in last year’s draft and a fourth-rounder in this year’s. If Revis had remained on the roster until 4 p.m. Wednesday, the pick in this year’s draft would have become the team’s third-rounder. The Buccaneers released Revis around 30 minutes before that deadline.

The five-time Pro Bowler also would have been paid a $1.5 million roster bonus if he remained on the team. Tampa Bay felt Revis was not a fit for new coach Lovie Smith’s defensive system.

The trade with the Jets looks like a total bust for the Bucs, who gave up two picks and $16 million to get a player coming off a torn ACL in his left knee. He went to the Pro Bowl and had two interceptions, but the team went 4-12 and both coach Greg Schiano and GM Mark Domenik, the men who acquired him, were fired.