Jets' Antonio Cromartie Comments on Darrelle Revis Trade to Bucs

The New York Jets' Antonio Cromartie is not happy about Darrelle Revis' move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

UPDATE at 6:07 p.m. ET by Jesse Reed

Revis has been traded.

John Geiger, who is the marketing and business manager for the former Jets star, reported the news and shared this picture on Twitter:

"

Everyone congratulate the newest Tampa Bay Buc @revis24 #bucnation #revisIsland twitter.com/JohnGeiger_/st…

— John Geiger (@JohnGeiger_) April 21, 2013"

---End of update---

Cromartie spoke with Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News about losing his teammate and running mate at cornerback:

Just hours before, Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports tweeted that the two teams had come to an agreement on this trade and that the Bucs had already agreed to a contract:

Cromartie clearly isn't happy about this development, and the fact that he would publicly lament losing Revis is a testament to Revis' greatness.  

Cromartie performed admirably without Revis last year when the star's ACL injury sidelined him for the season. He tallied three interceptions and 13 passes defended while allowing just five touchdowns, and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked him No. 16 in the NFL at his position.

As a whole, the Jets defense played well without Revis, ranking No. 2 in the NFL in passing defense, allowing just 190 yards per contest. 

Many players long for an opportunity to step out from under the shadows of the league's best players. With Revis out of the picture for good, Cromartie would have an excellent opportunity to emerge as an elite cornerback.

That said, Cromartie would seemingly rather win games than seek personal plaudits, as his comments clearly indicate. 

There's no doubt that Revis would help the Jets win games this season, but the franchise traded him because this is a team in need of a major and long-term overhaul. 

The draft picks the Jets acquired in return for Revis will help the team build a more complete roster in the years to come. 

That isn't where Cromartie's mind is right now, however. He wants to win this year, and he knows losing Revis will make that task much more difficult. 

Follow me on Twitter @JesseReed78