NEW YORK — Darrelle Revis has started to run again as he rehabilitates from a torn knee ligament while his future with the New York Jets remains uncertain.
The star cornerback, sidelined most of last season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, is shown running on a treadmill — with a contraption on his upper body that relieves 30 pounds of pressure — and doing a variety of drills in a segment on NFL Network that aired Thursday.
"I can’t wait until my name gets called, when I get to run out of the tunnel and just be where I usually (am)," Revis said. "My comfort zone is to go out there and just play ball. … I’m just grateful, I just thank God I got a second chance."
Revis will meet with his surgeon Russell Warren, the Giants’ team doctor, in Manhattan and have an MRI exam Monday before heading to the Jets’ facility in Florham Park, N.J., for the start of voluntary workouts — although he would prefer to stay in Arizona where he is currently rehabbing with Fischer Sports.
As a result of a clause in his contract from 2010, though, Revis would forfeit $3 million in bonuses if he doesn’t show up for at least 80 per cent of the Jets’ off-season workouts.
Whether he stays with the Jets throughout the off-season remains to be seen. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers appear extremely interested in dealing for Revis, something that could happen before the NFL draft on April 25. New general manager John Idzik will likely want a package of draft picks, including the Buccaneers’ first-rounder this year, No. 13 overall.
"There’s been a lot of talk," Revis told NFL Network. "We’ll see what happens, if I’m there or if I’m not. But that’s the next step. That’s the next phase for me in my career, these next couple of weeks."
The 27-year-old Revis is entering the final year of his contract, but wants to be among the league’s highest-paid defensive players. The Jets have been balancing keeping one of the best players the franchise has ever had and being financially prudent.
If they believe they won’t be able to sign him next off-season — which is not expected — the Jets could be more apt to get something for him in a deal rather than lose him for nothing more than a compensatory third-round draft pick next year.
