New York Jets star cornerback Darrelle Revis responded Thursday on Twitter to the notion that Jets owner Woody Johnson is considering trading him during the offseason, leaving him “speechless.”
“I’m speechless by far but more importantly I feel more upset for the jet nation for having to go through this!!!” Revis tweeted. “I guess we’ll see how this plays out.”
Revis’ tweet came late Thursday evening after the Jets introduced their new general manager, John Idzik, Thursday morning at news conference. Idzik immediately found himself answering questions about trade rumors surrounding the highly touted cornerback.
Idzik, who replaced Mike Tannenbaum, stressed to the media that it was too early to even discuss Revis’ situation, but emphasized every player on the roster is being evaluated. His evaluation includes highly publicized quarterbacks Tim Tebow and Mark Sanchez. He declined to comment on their futures with the team.
Coach Rex Ryan, Johnson and Idzik have previously called Revis the greatest player in the franchise, but now Johnson is looking to get the maximum return for Revis.
“I’m not going to get into any of those specifics right now. Let’s let the process run its course,” Ryan said. “I’m confident that any decision made by this organization without question will be in the best interest of the team.”
Revis, who missed a majority of last season due to an ACL injury, will become a free agent after 2013. But he cannot be franchise-tagged by the team because his contract prevents the team from doing so.
During the 2010 preseason, Revis sat out to receive an extension on his original deal. The Jets gave him a four-year deal worth $46 million dollars.
But things have quickly changed for Johnson, who only two years ago said it was the franchise’s goal to make Revis a Jet for life.
“I gathered from Woody that, in his mind, (Revis) is gone,” a source told ESPNNewYork.com.
Once Revis hits the free agent market, he is likely to demand the salary of a starting quarterback, which will be around $16 million per year. The Jets would be unable to meet his demands because they would be over the salary cap, thus making him an appealing bargaining chip now.
The only dilemma with Johnson shopping Revis right now is that he is recovering from major knee surgery and teams may want to see how he recovers before making a deal.
If Revis is traded, the Jets would be losing a big defensive playmaker.
