A feud has been building for years between some of the greatest cornerbacks in NFL history. In a sometimes thankless role on the football field, those charged with defending some of the greatest receivers in history want their flowers for the work they put in over the years.
Hall-of-Fame corner and New York Jets legend Darrelle Revis is no exception. Well, except when it comes to one other player in his role, and this is surprising considering how bullish the Pittsburgh-area native has been about his all-time status throughout the years.
Revis once said that he “had better stats” than Sanders.
Revis gives flowers to ‘Primetime’
In a fan tweet early Saturday morning, Revis was picked as the second-best cornerback in NFL history. The only man ahead is former Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons star Deion Sanders.
Making things interesting was the fact that Revis actually retweeted the comment early in the day—essentially pleased with calling himself the best of his generation but second to Sanders.
“What Jordan is to Kobe … is Prime to Revis Island,” Revis said during his Hall-of-Fame speech in 2023.
Sanders and Revis have combined 15 Pro Bowl nods, 10 All-Pro designations, and three Super Bowl Championships over their respective careers. While their careers did not intersect like Jordan and Kobe’s did, they are each members of their respective All-Decade teams.
Few cornerbacks were as clear a lockdown star as Revis was during his career. He was a four-time first-team All-Pro and recorded 29 interceptions in his 11-year run with four different teams.
He will always be known as the greatest Jets cornerback in franchise history—perhaps for his 2009 season alone when he picked off six passes, finished second in NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting, and held all-time great receivers like Randy Moss and Calvin Johnson in check.
The cornerback feuds continue
Few players were even close to Revis’ level during and before his era.
One player many consider was a tier below the Hall-of-Famer but still elite at times was Asante Samuel. The former Patriot and Eagle finished with more interceptions than Revis (51) but wasn’t the kind of lockdown corner that Revis was.
And Samuel has made it clear that he will argue his all-time legacy with everyone.
Including Revis’ hero in Sanders.
Samuel and Sanders got into an X/Twitter feud regarding using the “T-Step technique” that cornerbacks are taught in college.
Sanders called the technique “stupid,” and Samuel responded to Sanders saying his comment was “foolishness” because it’s “the best technique to get to the football” for a cornerback.
Samuel and Revis, for his part, have gotten into plenty of feuds before in their own respective way, but as good as the former Patriot was, it’s clear Revis and Sanders will always clear him no matter how much he talks.
