The New York Jets are currently in some serious trouble when it comes to their quarterback position. The most effective quarterback the Jets have had under center in recent memory is a free agent and the Jets only have $2 million in cap space. Revis has a $17 million cap hit and is the highest costing player effecting the Jets ability to have any cap room whatsoever. Revis is 30 years old and no matter how great the cornerback is age is the deciding factor in why most teams let their best players go or trade them away.
Look at DeMarcus Ware, Steve Smith, Matt Forte, Frank Gore; all of these players were perennial members of their organization and now productive members of other franchises. Age doesn't guarantee decline however it is more likely to bring unwieldy cap hits. Revis was injured for a couple of games last season and did not look himself however he still recorded 14 starts, 30 combined tackles, 9 pass defenses, and 5 interceptions. In terms of turnovers it was the best year Revis has had since 2009 however in terms of passes actually defended it was the first time he did not record double digits since 2012.
The main issue with Revis is his cap hit and he will not change that, the legendary corner has had very public contract disputes throughout his career and left the Jets in 2012 to chase the money elsewhere. After signing with both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New England Patriots (along with winning a Super Bowl) he would return to New York just to put his first team in cap purgatory.
Now the Jets are stuck without a quarterback whom they could sign to a one year deal like the Washington Redskin's signal caller Kirk Cousins and seek to re-structure his contract later on. The Jets currently have no room to do this and there are a ton of teams seeking a productive, veteran cornerback. Just look at Adam Jones who once was a headache for teams to deal with.
After a couple of productive seasons on the Bengals teams are ready and willing to pay a 30 plus year old player top dollar free agent money. Revis would surely command more money than Jones so his value is still pretty high. If the Jets want to move on with their franchise and begin to win they must prepare for the future. Now Ryan Fitzpatrick may not be the true "future" franchise quarterback for the Jets but he is currently their best option, and with Revis, Brandon Marshall, and other players on this roster getting up there in age the Jets should act now while they have a window, and build for the future after the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
