Idzik: Rumors of Jets trading Revis overstated
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Rumors of a Darrelle Revis trade are overstated, says Jets general manager John Idzik, who spoke to the media on Thursday for the second time since taking over the job in January.
Talking from the podium in Indianapolis on Thursday afternoon at the NFL Combine, Idzik downplayed rumors of a possible trade of Revis, who is arguably the best player on the Jets and one of the best defensive players in the league. He voiced support for a future in New York for “Revis Island.”
“Darrelle Revis is obviously a great football player; he’s a great New York Jet. He’s a tremendous asset to our football team and our organization,” Idzik told reporters. “With respect to clarity, I don’t think anything’s changed. We always wanted Darrelle as part of our team. That hasn’t changed.”
But assets have value on the open market, leading to speculation and reports that a Jets team relatively tight against the salary cap and needing an infusion of youth could deal Revis for draft picks.
Last season, Revis played just two games after he suffered a season-ending knee injury in an overtime win at Miami. He is continuing to rehab and likely will be ready for the regular season.
Shrewdly, Idzik did not guarantee Revis would be a Jet in 2013, but he sounded far more open to the idea than recent reports have indicated. Of course, this might all be posturing in an effort to raise the value of Revis for a possible trade.
“With respect to Darrelle, we’ve always wanted him as a part of the New York Jets,” Idzik told the media. “Our focus with Darrelle is to aid him in his rehab.”
Undercutting that stance was Jets head coach Rex Ryan, who didn’t sound like someone who wanted to lend credence to any possible trade talks. Ryan spoke to the media in Indianapolis after Idzik’s time at the podium and he wiped away the trade talk.
“It’s not accurate. I told him that. There is no validity to that trade,” Ryan said. “I don’t know where things like that get drummed up.”
Gang Green notes …
» The Jets’ new motto, according to Idzik, is “competition, through and through.”
» On the future of Mark Sanchez with the team, Idzik touched upon the competition theme, something he cited frequently when he was introduced as general manager last month. Idzik said that with increased competition, Sanchez will perform better. Drafted by the Jets in 2009, Sanchez has been the Jets starting quarterback since Week 1 of his rookie season and he has never had a backup who could challenge him. He was benched late this past season, but regained his starting job following an injury to Greg McElroy.
Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.
