Jets Officially Sending Revis Island to Buccaneers

Darrelle Revis, and his island, is taking his talents to Tampa, Florida.

The New York Jets officially finalized a deal to send their best player on the entire 53-man roster to the Buccaneers, pending Revis passes his physical.

The Jets will receive multiple draft picks including the coveted 13th pick in this week's NFL draft, from the Buccaneers. Tampa is now free to negotiate a long term contract with Revis, and many believe they are willing to pay him $14-15 million per season.

With Revis leaving it ends a brilliant era in New York, and officially ushers in total darkness for a Jets franchise stooped in incompetence from the top on down. The reason New York wanted to part with its best player had more to do with the fact that owner Woody Johnson didn't want to pay the best cornerback in the sport.

Revis held out a couple years ago because he didn't get the extension he wanted from the Jets, and had to settle for a four-year extension with the promise that the Jets would negotiate a new deal in the near future. That day never came, as Johnson stood firm on his position that he wasn't going to pay him. This is also the same owner who once said last fall that he wants Tim Tebow to remain a Jet for three-years. This is also the same owner who Ok'd giving Mark Sanchez an unwarranted contract extension with guaranteed money a year ago. 

Perhaps the Revis deal is more about how frugal Johnson has been with his own money, than about putting a good product on the field.

If Johnson still thinks he can sell season ticket packages and PSLs, he has a better chance of catching a Marlin down by the Jersey shore. This is a total slap in the face at a fan base that has paid good money to become season ticket holders to Jets' games. After the last two seasons of Rex Ryan's big mouth, Sanchez buttfumbles and Tim Tebow -- nobody wants to deal with this franchise. 

The Bucs get a player who while great is coming off an ACL tear, and is the midst of rehab. He was cleared to run last week by Jets doctors, so there should be no problem with his physical in Tampa. If Revis returns to his old form, he gives the Bucs a shutdown corner, and much better secondary. In a division with Drew Brees, Matt Ryan and Cam Newton -- the Bucs need to rely on a strong secondary. Revis gives them instant credibility.

Oh, did I forget to mention that the Buccaneers travel to New York on opening day to play the Jets? A cruel joke by NFL officials, who must have been giggling at the very idea of having Revis return to his old stomping grounds and pick off the bumbling Sanchez a couple of times. Can you picture Revis returning a Mark Sanchez pick 60-yards for a touchdown, and dancing in the end zone in Buccaneer maroon and copper? I can, and so can the NFL. 

Now the pressure is squarely on the shoulders of GM John Idzik. Forget Rex Ryan, he's on his way out the door for sure with Revis out of town; another buttfumble move by Johnson, who decided to keep Ryan in town to do further damage to his resume and coaching credentials with a half-baked roster, instead of just letting him go at the end of a 6-10 season.

Idzik now has to be the Billy Beane of football this Thursday. Many speculate that the Jets could take Alabama cornerback Dee Milner with the ninth pick and nab a defensive lineman with the 13th on Thursday, but lets be honest -- Milner might be a good player -- he is not Darrelle Revis, and never will be.

No matter whom the Jets select on Thursday with these two draft picks, it will not take the sting away for Jets fans who are gearing up for another sub .500 season (yippie!). And the player(s) that are selected by the Jets will have to make an explosive impact on the roster immediately in order to validate the Revis trade.

If the Jets recent drafts are any indication - forget about it. Muhammad Wilkerson, Quinton Couples and Kendrik Ellis have all been very slow in their development; Ellis is even in legal trouble. Do those drafts again, and neither player is worthy of a first round selection.

Idzik is fighting history here. The Jets have a tortured history on draft day. For every Revis and Nick Mangold, there is a Mark Sanchez, Johnny Mitchell, Kyle Brady, and Vernon Gholston. So I can't blame any Jets fan for lacking confidence that this franchise can find a replacement for Revis, or find an impact player who can make Jets fans forget about Revis.

At the very least, unless Revis can't come to terms on a long term contract in Tampa, the Jets don't have to worry about seeing him play for the New England Patriots after this season.

While some will say the Jets are making the right financial move here, let's be fair -- the end of the Revis era is another dark day -- in a history of dark days -- for New York Jets football.