Darrelle Revis Reportedly Expected to Return to Patriots If He Plays Next Season

Darrelle Revis will return to the New England Patriots in 2017 if he continues to play, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, who cited "numerous league sources, including some close to Revis." 

One NFL personnel man spoke in more depth about the cornerback's potential future:

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We did our work on him. He can still play. He can cover. He doesn’t have that long speed anymore; he’s not going to cover a No. 1 receiver deep. But he can cover in tight spaces and he has great instincts. The film is not as bad as some would have you believe. He’s a perfect fit in that quarters scheme Belichick runs, and they have the kind of safeties who can help him out, too. We’re convinced he’s going back to New England. It just makes too much sense.

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If the Patriots ultimately trade Malcolm Butler—likely to the New Orleans Saints—they would have a need at cornerback after also losing Logan Ryan in free agency. Even with Stephon Gilmore now in the fold, the team would potentially be starting Eric Rowe opposite of him if Butler is traded. 

Adding a veteran like Revis to the mix would make sense for the Patriots, then, especially given that Revis' last great season was in 2014 with the Patriots. Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus wrote two years ago about the strong season Revis had with the team:

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He finished the season as the fourth-ranked corner in both overall PFF and coverage grades. He notched 11 pass breakups and allowed just 51.9% of the passes sent his way to be caught while ranking at the sharp end of all of the advanced coverage metrics we track.

Only two corners went more coverage snaps per reception allowed than the 14.8 Revis managed. Only Richard Sherman was targeted less frequently and Revis’ 0.92 yards per coverage snap was good enough to rank eighth in the league.

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But Monson, to his credit, also noted in that article that Revis was showing signs of decline, and that decline was readily apparent in his two seasons with the Jets. And that begs the question: Is Revis past his prime and no longer capable of being an effective cornerback, or will a return to the Patriots help cover up some of the flaws that teams have exposed in his later years? 

If the Patriots believe the former to be true, they likely won't take a chance on Revis. But if they believe the latter to be correct, bringing him aboard would be logical for both parties.