Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Darrelle Revis against the San Francisco 49ers. Kim Klement-Imagn Images

Buccaneers tenure named 'rare misstep' from Hall of Fame cornerback

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By River Wells | Last updated Jul 3, 2025 11:54 AM ET

Hall of Fame cornerback Darrelle Revis will be remembered for a lot of things — he had four First Team All-Pro nods, 29 interceptions over his career and, of course, has an island named after him. His tenure with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2013, though, has likely been forgotten by a large number of NFL fans.

Revis is most known for his work with the New York Jets and the New England Patriots, winning a Super Bowl ring with the latter team. He had already nabbed two First Team All-Pros with the Jets before he was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2013, and he got a big contract from New York that saw him make $46 million on a four-year deal. That's why he was named in a recent ESPN article that constructed an NFL "Bag" Hall of Fame — that is, players who were very good at getting paid across the course of their career.

Revis would eventually get two big contracts with the Patriots and the Jets (again) after his one year in Tampa Bay, but he didn't make a ton of money while he played for the Bucs. Writer Bill Barnwell referred to his guarantee-less six-year deal in Tampa Bay as a "rare misstep" when it came to Revis' contract acumen.

"With the Bucs, Revis got the sort of deal we haven't seen from a star player since. Wanting to reset the market with a standout salary at the time, he signed a six-year, $96 million deal with the Buccaneers. It was a massive salary at the time (and the equivalent of a $36.3 million annual salary for a cornerback today), but the deal contained no guaranteed money. While that gave him the ability to potentially renegotiate if he exceeded expectations, it also gave Tampa Bay complete flexibility to move on from him. After one year, it did, releasing Revis with five (unguaranteed) years remaining on his existing deal. It was a rare misstep from the legendary defensive back, but things worked out fine for him."

Revis didn't have a bad season with the Buccaneers — he had two interceptions, two forced fumbles and 11 passes defended en route to a Pro Bowl nod. That being said, Revis was a man cornerback, and the Bucs fired Greg Schiano later that offseason and intended to bring in Lovie Smith to coach the team. Smith's defensive scheme was heavily zone-based, and so Revis was released by Tampa Bay.

It would be extremely rare, if not downright impossible, for a contract worth that much to have no guarantees in this modern era of football. It was probably for the best that both sides moved on from each other in this case, however, and both parties would eventually get their Super Bowl — it just took a little bit longer for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.