Darrelle Revis is coming to Tampa, if Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports can be believed: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will add the star cornerback to their depleted secondary. Revis is undergoing a physical in Tampa as we speak, the final hurdle to a trade. It is not yet clear what the compensation for Revis will be, but the Bucs are expected to give up a 2013 first-round pick and two later-round picks. Revis will also receive a new contract, likely worth around $15 million per year from the Buccaneers.
Trading for Revis would give the Buccaneers the best cornerback in the NFL, assuming he's healthy and one of the best secondaries overall, although they still lack depth. Revis will pair with Eric Wright as starting cornerbacks, and Mark Barron and Dashon Goldson will man the fort at safety. The Bucs are still looking for a quality nickel cornerback, with a return of Ronde Barber
By trading for the best cornerback in the NFL, the Buccaneers are hoping to boost one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. Revis has been the key player to one of the league's most dominant defenses over the past four years. Most impressively, Revis allowed the New York Jets to be one of the top pass defenses in the NFL despite a constant lack of quality pass rushers.
While Revis will be a major addition to the Bucs, there are some major question marks, too: will Revis fully recover from his ACL? Will his contract weigh too heavily on the Bucs' salary cap? Will the compensation in draft picks cripple the Bucs in the future?
Stay tuned as we find out all the details.
Update: "Multiple sources" tell Jason Cole a deal is essentially done, with a ".001 chance" it doesn't go through.
Update: ESPN's Rich Cimini and Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News confirm Cole's report.
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