Marc Malusis: It’s time for the Jets, NFL to move on from ‘Revis Island’

It is time to close Revis Island forever. It was great will it lasted. I feel privileged to watch one of the great cornerbacks that I have ever seen do his work in a Jet, Buc and Patriots uniform. There is no doubt the impact that Darrelle Revis had on the game. In today’s era of the NFL, they have made it easier to throw the football. The inability to be physical in the secondary leaves defensive backs at a disadvantage play in and play out and for Revis to be the dominant player that he was in this era further emphasizes his brilliance. Without question or debate, he is a 1st ballot Hall of Famer. It is time to move on.

As rumor became fact this past Thursday and news came out that Revis was involved in an altercation in the south side of Pittsburgh and was facing criminal charges, a disastrous season on the field in 2016 leaked into a troubling start off the field in 2017. It is time to move on.

Revis turned himself into authorities on Friday as he is facing felony charges of aggravated assault, robbery, terroristic threats and conspiracy stemming from the altercation last week. Revis was released on bond as we all await the next step in the legal process. It is time to move on.

There are conflicting reports as to who is really the victim in the case. Revis and his lawyer have their said of the case. Revis’ attorney Blaine Jones said his client is 1,000 percent the victim. The police report gives the victims side of the case and we still don’t entirely know where the truth does lie. From a football perspective, I don’t care exactly what happened in Pittsburgh last Sunday morning and I hope Revis is telling the truth. It is time to move on.

When Revis returned before the 2015 season and signed a 5-year $70 million dollar contract, I was all for it. I loved the fact that Revis was coming back to the Jets as GM Mike Maccagnan was trying to bring the organization back to relevancy. It worked for the most part in the first year, aside from brutal playoff spot loss on the line loss in Week 17 in Buffalo. In Year 2, the play of Revis and many other Jets left a lot to be desired and so did the results as the Jets season became a lost one early on in the regular season. It is time to move on.

We do not know what the legal situation with Revis will be moving forward and that should not factor into the decision by the Jets management. The decision should have already been made. It is time to move on.

There is no question that Darrelle Revis did a fantastic job of maximizing his value of a player. I can’t think of a player that used his leverage and the system better to make the most amount of money that he could over the course of his career. I give him all the credit for doing that and I never fault a player for making as much as he can because NFL careers can be so short lived. Today’s hero can be tomorrow’s zero. He treated the NFL like a business and good for him, now the Jets need to do the same. It is time to move on.

In 2016, Revis was no longer a shutdown cornerback. He is no longer the player he once was and you can no longer pay a player for what he was and not what he is. During this past season, he talked about being overweight and injured and old at times. He did not show any leadership in the locker room when the season became lost and the locker room screamed for leadership. He is due a $2 million dollar roster bonus on March 10th. He has a $13 million base salary which includes a $6 million dollar guarantee. Revis and the Jets have discussed the idea of moving to safety. No thanks. I can free up $8 million dollars of cap space by cutting Revis before March 10th. I am not willing to pay Revis what he is due to play cornerback to play safety. I would not be looking to restructure his deal either. This is a business decision clear and simple. No emotions. Revis played the NFL like a business and the Jets must now do the same. It has nothing to do with his pending legal situation in Pittsburgh and has everything to do with his play on the field. It is just time to move on.