There’s a New Island in Massachusetts

Less than twenty-four hours after the New England Patriots lost free agent CB Aqib Talib to the Denver Broncos on a ridiculous 6 year, $57 million contract, they found his replacement. 

Bill Belichick and company went out and signed free agent CB Darrelle Revis to a one year, $11.5 million contract with an option for 2015.  Revis gets $10 million in salary and a $1.5 million signing bonus.

This is a win-win situation for both the team and the player.  The Patriots didn’t kill their cap space, got a Top 3 game changing defensive player in his prime and pissed off the New York Jets.  For Revis he gets paid, goes to a good team who is in the race every year and has the chance to hit the open market again in another year.  For both they also get to see how the fit works and if a long term situation is possible.

Revis, 28, was the New York Jets first round pick out of Pittsburgh in the 2007 NFL Draft.  He is a 5-time Pro Bowl selection and 3-time First Team All-Pro.

In six seasons with New York he had 19 INT’s, 3 of them he returned for TD’s including a career long 100-yard INT return for a TD against Miami in 2011.  He also had 97 passes defensed.  But after 6 personally successful seasons in New York he wanted out and wanted to get paid and was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers prior to last season. 

With the Buccaneers he had 2 INT’s and 11 passes defensed in 16 games to bring his career totals to 21 INT’s and 108 passes defensed in 95 NFL games. 

His best season was 2009 in which he had 6 INT’s, returned 1 for a TD and defensed 31 passes in 16 games for the Jets.  Now he brings that to New England.

Against the AFC East opponents here are his career stats

With all the Patriots division opponents employing quarterbacks with very little NFL experience those totals should grow some in 2014.

As Mr. Rourke might say…”Welcome to Revis Island.”

photo credit:  getty images