CB Darrelle Revis Joins Patriots Defense
One day after losing their starting number one cornerback to the Denver Broncos, the Patriots went out and made a splash in free agency that should hopefully see them be able to improve their secondary heading into next season.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Patriots signed Darrelle Revis to a 1-year, $12-million deal mere hours following his release by the Buccaneers after Tampa Bay failed to find a trade partner for his services.
Leading up to the deal, multiple reports had the Patriots in the mix for Revis' services and a report out of New York by Manish Mehta had someone in the veteran cornerback's camp saying "it's going to happen".
Fortunately, it has happened, and most Patriots fans certainly couldn't be happier with the notion of someone of Revis' calibur lining up in New England's defensive backfield next season.
The move also comes just hours after the Broncos introduced now-former Patriots cornerback Aqib Talib, who signed a 6-year, $57-million deal that included $26-million guaranteed.
The signing of Revis is a relatively low-risk move by the Patriots, although the dollar amount is certainly a little jaw-dropping for a team that normally doesn't devote that much to one player. The upside is they don't have a commitment with high cap dollars in the years to come, and with the loss of Talib, James Christensen of NEPatriotsDraft.com points out that the Patriots will likely get a compensatory pick for him.
Overall it's a terrific move that immediately levels the playing field a bit after the Broncos had weakened the Patriots yesterday by signing away one of their key free agents.
There are still more to be made, but it's certainly a good start.