Free agent cornerback Darrelle Revis got good news Wednesday when he was cleared of all charges involving a Pittsburgh brawl earlier this winter.
A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., Revis played his college ball at Pitt. Not surprisingly, he’s interested in potentially joining his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers if they want him in 2017.
“That would be great,” Revis said, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “As a child I watched the Steelers play, went to a few games as a young child, I played here in high school and college, so to play here professionally would be awesome too. So we’ll see. Hopefully we’ll have a conversation with the Steelers.”
It’s not crazy to think the feeling might be mutual from Pittsburgh’s perspective.
Despite Revis obviously being on the tail end of his career, he might be inclined to step up his effort a bit playing in front of fans from his home town. He also says he’s in better shape now than he was last season.
“I’m 10 pounds lighter than I was last year at this time so I’m really hammering that,” Revis said. “The hunger is definitely there, just passion and love for the game, and I’m excited. I’m excited for this upcoming season. I just had to put this past me and now I can really focus on what team I can fit with, the best system and team and coaches.”
The Steelers need help at the position and lost out on some bids to other teams on cornerbacks they were pursuing this offseason.
Revis has played in 10 seasons as a pro, starting all 140 games he’s appeared in since being being a first-round selection of the New York Jets in the 2007 NFL Draft. He has 29 career interceptions and three pick-sixes to his credit and was once the most feared cornerback in the game.
While some feel retirement is the best option for the veteran, he seems inclined to give it another go in the NFL after a miserable campaign in 2016.