Darrelle Revis became the equivalent of Benedict Arnold to New York Jets fans when he agreed to sign with the New England Patriots on Wednesday.
However, the cornerback actually would have preferred to return to the Big Apple after leaving Tampa Bay, according to one report.
The New York Daily News quoted a source Thursday as saying that Revis’ top two preferred teams in free agency were the Jets and Patriots — in that order. The Jets, however, wanted no part of the All-Pro’s hefty price tag.
“We knew, everybody knew, that he was going to want north of $10 million for this season,” a Jets source told the Daily News. “We weren’t going to pay a corner that. That was pretty obvious. Would we have liked to have him play here again? Sure, for $2 million.”
Jets general manager Jeff Idzik reportedly did not even contact Revis’ agents when the cornerback hit free agency.
“There was no interest. There was no offer,” the Daily News’ Gary Myers wrote.
Revis was a Pro Bowler in four of his six seasons with the Jets and was voted AFC Defensive Player of the Year in 2009. His contract with the Patriots reportedly is a one-year deal worth $12 million, with a $20 million team option for 2015.
