Darrelle Revis wasn’t hesitant to take jabs at the Jets for trading him.
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Darrelle Revis is apparently doing his best to make Jets fans forget him sooner rather than later.
In a confrontational call with the media where Revis sounded testy and bitter, the former Jets cornerback who was traded to the Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon sounded off about the deal that sent him to Tampa Bay. Revis, a former first-round pick of the Jets who had played the entirety of his six-year career with the team, netted the Jets the No. 13 pick in this year’s draft and a conditional pick in 2014.
Revis said on Monday in a conference call he met new Jets general manager John Idzik last week for the first time and that he left with the sense he wasn’t going to be traded.
“I felt that type of vibe that they weren’t truthful,” Revis said. “But I don’t feel anything – it’s over. It happened. I need to move on. This is a new chapter in my life and that’s that.”
In 2010, following a bitter holdout, Revis signed a contract extension which he could opt out of after this season. Given their salary cap constraints, in all likelihood the Jets wouldn’t be able to re-sign their star player. As such, Idzik and the Jets sought to recoup some value.
The Buccaneers, with issues in their secondary and the kind of cap space to sign Revis to a long-term deal, became the most sensible trade partners for the Jets. They were also willing to part with their first-round pick to secure the game’s most dominant cornerback, despite some question marks. Revis is coming of a year where he played just two games due to a season-ending knee injury in Week 3 and is still in the process of rehabbing.
In late January after the trade rumors gained momentum, Revis presumed on Twitter that Jets fans were al shook up about the talk of his departure and voiced his sympathy for their assumed plight. Revis tweeted, “I’m speechless by far but more importantly I feel more upset for the jet nation for having to go through this!!!”
Fast forward to Monday afternoon and Revis couldn’t bring himself to muster a diplomatic answer as to why he was traded.
“Why do I think the Jets traded me? I don’t know, maybe you need to ask John Idzik that,” Revis said. “I have no idea. I think that’s a question for John Idzik. I don’t have that kind of control to say if I stay or go as a player. I think that’s a question for John Idzik.”
He also snidely answered why Jets owner Woody Johnson, who has a penchant for collecting big names and offering even bigger contracts, would want to let the best defensive player in franchise history be dealt.
“Am I a Jet anymore?” Revis said. “Well then that should answer all the questions.”
Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.
