It's a bit of a bummer, for sure.
All that said, investing, let's hypothetically say, 10 million in Revis this season wouldn't be wise, and that'd be the bear minimum in order to bring him back here given the guarantees he wants. We'd have just under 6 million in cap space after that, and you have to set aside 4'ish million for the rookie reserve. That leaves us with virtually no spending money.
Revis got his and we stuck to the formula. I'm fine with this, albeit a bit sad about the situation.
All that said, I'm slightly surprised by the Browner situation and can only hope that he'll be returning here. I still think he has a role and can help. The idea of Browner, Butler and Ryan, with Arrington in the slot isn't all that bad, especially given McCourty over the top.
On a related note, I'm a bit nervous about Chung. The reason he thrived this season was because he played exclusively in man-to-man against TEs and short/shallow zones in the flat and over the middle (as well as in the box as a run defender). He never had a responsibility with a deep zone. What does his role become if we begin to play more zone coverage, particularly cover-2? Is it possible that we'll look to replace him with a more well-rounded SS? All questions to be answered. Will he revert back to 'meh' form?
A CB who intrigues me is Tramon Williams. He's quite good and could fit in nicely here. Has the versatility to play man or zone. If we could manage to snag Williams (or someone similar) and/or bring Browner back, coupled with the drafting of a promising CB in the draft, we should be fine. That's assuming, of course, that we add some firepower up front. Sheard would be a start, and Knighton would be huge. We shall see.
Ultimately, it's a sad day but not a devastating nor unexpected day. The Patriots made the correct decision(s) (save for the Browner move, in my opinion). We opted for the younger, cheaper, and more versatile/athletic option (McCourty) over the pricier, older option in Revis. I'd also argue that McCourty is more of a leader and appears happier to be here, for whatever that's worth. While it's sad and disappointing, I'm confident that our team made the correct moves given the circumstances. It's time to move forward and build the team, brick by brick.