Revis sticks it to Woody Johnson & Jets, Signs with Patriots

Now the nightmare scenario that the Jets feared would happen a year ago when they couldn't restructure Darrelle Revis' contract has finally happened. Darrelle Revis is becoming a New England Patriot.

Hours after Revis was released by the Buccaneers, he agreed to a 1-year $12 million contract with the Patriots, all but sticking a knife into the heart of the Jets and its fans, as the Patriots try to fill the vacant cornerback slot in New England vacated by Aquib Talib.

For the Jets this is an enormous disaster, at least on paper. In fact, check out this Twitter from Jets beat writer Rich Cimini:

Rich Cimini ‏@RichCimini  13m

Good deal for Patriots. Bad deal for Jets' fans. btw, #Jets never reached out to Revis. His agent contacted them. All posturing.

Dan Leberfeld ‏@jetswhispers  3m

Izdik and Woody are just so tired of Revis/Schwartz/Feinsod. They are done with them.

The fans of course have been even more livid. 

If these tweets are true this is a huge black eye for the New York Jets and owner Woody Johnson. Johnson wouldn't burry the hatchet after his fued with Revis and his agents over last year's contract dispute. Johnson didn't even try to pick up the phone to make his maya culpas and move on, instead opting to allow the best corner to play for the franchise to go to its arch rival.

Bringing back Revis was a slam dunk both on the field and publicly; the Jets decided not to budge. Instead New York is still waiting for a big jump into free agency, even though they did re-sign Nick Folk, and acquired right tackle Breno Giacomini formally of the Seattle Seahawks.

And trust me, from what I hear, Giacomini is going to be a starter on the O-line, which is nothing to sneeze at.

Yet, this is a transaction, or lack thereof, that is going to haunt the Jets for as long as Revis plays in Foxboro. They will now have to face him twice a year, every year -- because most likely the Patriots will extend him beyond this year in 2015.

The Jets could have prevented this a long time ago. They knew that if they didn't sign Revis last year, there was a distinct possibility he was going to New England. They should not have blown off Revis and his agents a year ago after the two sides couldn't come to terms on a deal. Both sides were to blame, and they should have acted like professionals and not school children. The Jets made it public that they wanted him out of town, and shipped him to the Bucs -- probably hoping that this day would not come.

Revis made it public that he felt betrayed last year.

Now a year later Revis made it be known (whether it was a ploy or not) that he wanted to come home, and the Jets, still hurt, didn't care.

Rex Ryan could've had his favorite player back, but because of the egos by both the Jets and likely the Revis party, a reunion was not going to happen.

What hurts most of all is the fact that the Jets have $40 million in cap space, and could have paid Revis now. The Patriots, who just signed him, had only $15 million in cap space.

The only way the Jets can take the sting out of this situation is to sign some big name players in free agency almost immediately, i.e. Eric Decker, who was rumored to be visiting the Jets on Wednesday.

The Jets have no choice but to re-sign Anotonio Cromartie. While he is not as good as Revis, and is starting to get up their in football age, Cromartie is the only big name corner left on the market next to his own brother, Domique-Rodgers Cromartie.

The Jets could have made a big statement to their fans by bringing Revis back that they want to win now. Instead, the only statement they sent was that bitterness still is bliss and will be even more as the Jets-Patriots rivalry takes another new turn.