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Today is a sad day for fans of the New York Jets everywhere. All-Pro Darrelle Revis, widely regarded as the greatest cornerback since Deion Sanders, has been traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In return, the Jets will receive the thirteenth overall selection in the 2013 NFL Draft, along with a 2014 fourth round selection that can turn into a third rounder, according to Adam Schefter. Wow. Consider me extremely underwhelmed and very disappointed.
In many ways, this trade was inevitable with two holdouts, his ACL tear, an impending free agency next year, and months of speculation. Although his dominance on the field was far reaching, this trade made it clear that no individual player is above the team. I've seen others say that this trade was the smart move, but not the easy move. That about sums it up for me. As a fan, it hurts, but I understand it. This isn't one of those things that any of us has any control over, so I'm not going to waste too much time being upset, when it's more important to move forward.
When all is said and done, Revis will likely be in the Hall of Fame, having been the greatest Jet to don the green and white since Joe Namath himself. It truly is hard to understate how phenomenal Revis has been for this team, and stats, as jaw-dropping as they were (holding Reggie Wayne to one catch, one yard in the playoffs, among others) still don't reflect his dominance.
We will have plenty of analysis on the terms of the trade and what the team can do to maximize their return, but for now, here is one final salute to Revis, who will face the Jets in the first game of the 2013 NFL season:
Now it will be up to General John Idzik to ensure that the draft picks received for Revis do not go to waste.