The NFC West-leading Kansas City Chiefs upgraded their defensive backfield (theoretically, at least) Wednesday with the signing of future Hall of Fame cornerback Darrelle Revis.
“Darrelle is a proven player in this league and we are excited to add him to our secondary,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said in a news release. “He’s had a Hall of Fame career and his leadership and playing experience will be valuable to our defense.”
NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports that the deal is for two years, with Revis to receive the league minimum in 2017 and no guaranteed money in 2018.
Once upon a time, Revis was arguably the best cornerback in the NFL, a six-time Pro Bowler, four-time All-Pro and perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate. But Father Time remains undefeated, and at age 32, Revis’ best football appears behind him. He became somewhat of a punchline last year with the Jets before being released in the offseason, and he has yet to play in 2017.
With all that in mind, this signing feels like a desperation move for a Chiefs team that currently ranks 28th in the NFL in passing yards allowed. The fact that coach Andy Reid, according to ESPN, thinks Revis will wind up starting, feels even more desperate.
But per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Revis signing is not some spontaneous move but rather something the Chiefs have been attempting to pull off for weeks.
Chiefs have been trying to sign Darrelle Revis for much of this season, per source. He wouldn’t take the deal – until now.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 22, 2017
The Chiefs presumably believe they can extract some percentage of Revis’ former output, but they might have a secondary motive as well. Kansas City is a week and a half from taking on the Jets, with whom Revis spent the last two years (in addition to six seasons earlier in his career). It’s possible the Chiefs are hoping to learn some secrets about their future opponents.
Revis was, in fact, not the only future Hall of Famer to land a new job Wednesday. Not long after news broke of the cornerback’s new deal, the Lions announced they had signed 37-year-old defensive end Dwight Freeney, who was waived by the Seahawks earlier this week.
