Darrelle Revis (AP)

FOXBORO — The trade of Darrelle Revis from the Jets to Tampa Bay will have an impact throughout football, but most notably in the AFC East, where the Bills, Dolphins and Patriots now won’t have to face the All-Pro corner twice a year.

Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio talked about the removal of Revis from the New York secondary on Monday afternoon and what it means in New England.

“You’re cognizant of it,” Caserio said when asked about the ramifications of Revis going from New York to Tampa. “I think you have some degree of understanding, but I think the focus of it right now is really more on your team and our team and just the draft preparation of what we’re going to do.

“Darrelle is a great player. There’s no question about it. I think the Jets will do what they can. They’ll put a good team out there, whoever we end up playing, whoever is on the field, they’ll be good players, and we’ll have to make sure that we’re prepared for that. We’re going to have to face him, it looks like, some time this season when we play Tampa Bay. He won’t be too far from us.”

It appears that Darrelle Revis could be headed to Tampa Bay. (AP)

The much-discussed trade that would send cornerback Darrelle Revis from the Jets to Tampa Bay appeared to take another step closer to reality on Sunday, as several reports indicated that New York is allowing the Pro Bowl corner to go to Tampa to take a physical –which could certainly be taken as a precursor to a trade.

(UPDATE, 4:44 p.m.: Revis’ agent has Tweeted the news that the trade to Tampa Bay has become official.)

So what does that mean for the Patriots? The prospect of not having to face Revis twice a year certainly has to be appetizing for the New England passing game. When he was healthy, Revis was a major part of the defensive success that New York had enjoyed over the last five seasons — an elite, lockdown corner who could close off one half of the field, he was able to change the game and allow the Jets to do things defensively they couldn’t do before he arrived. Some of the best individual matchups I’ve seen over the last four seasons involved Revis against either Randy Moss or Wes Welker. Great talents always trying to one up each other. Now, guys like Danny Amendola, Donald Jones and (to some extent) Aaron Hernandez should celebrate the prospect of not having to face Revis twice a year as a division rival.

(One ironic thing, as far as the Patriots are concerned — they finally have Revis out of their division … but if the trade to Tampa Bay does go through, they’ll still have to face him in 2013, as New England will host the Bucs on Sept. 22.)

Three thoughts, as far as the Jets are concerned: one, while it remains to be seen how much they will get back in return, this deal appears to make sense in the sense that even coming off a season-ending knee injury, Revis remains their most tradeable chip. Two, while it’s not anywhere in the vicinity of the albatross that is the Mark Sanchez contract, it’s more money coming off their books, and gives New York a little more financial freedom and more flexibility when it comes to rebuilding. And three, good or bad — even if he’s not the one pulling the trigger here — this deal will certainly come to define new Jets GM John Idzik. This will either mark the start of the turnaround in New York and the road back to respectability, or the beginning of the end of his tenure.

Rex Ryan

Jets coach Rex Ryan, speaking to the media from the league meetings in Phoenix, said he’s pleased he won’t have to face Wes Welker in New England anymore.

“I’m just glad Wes Welker isn’t there. I hated Wes Welker. I’m kidding … kind of,” Ryan said, via NFL.com. “Actually, I’m a huge fan of Wes Welker. He had historical success. That’s some big shoes for [Danny Amendola] to fill.”

Ryan also touched on his team’s situation regarding cornerback Darrelle Revis. The Jets reportedly have been entertaining offers for Revis, who can become a free agent after the 2013 season and is asking for far more money than the Jets want to pay.

“I know for a fact that we’re not actively trying to trade Darrelle Revis,” Ryan said, via the Newark Star-Ledger. “But if somebody calls, you listen.”

Ryan is overseeing a team that has had major changes to its roster this offseason as it strives to get under the salary cap and find the right combination to get the Jets back into contention.

“I’ll coach who’s here,” Ryan said. “On opening day we’ll see who that is.”

Ryan refuted a suggestion that he’s coaching for his job, insisting his team offers great appeal to him and might be underrated.

“If anything, people should be worried about us,” Ryan said, via the New York Post. “I’m not afraid of my situation. I’m looking forward to my situation. You’re making the assumption that I’m just a short-term guy. I don’t see it that way.”

Added Ryan: “The league knows I can coach. I never said [this season] was going to be easy, but I’m excited about the challenges. You’re going to have a lot of turnover, but rebuilding? Each year in the NFL, you feel your team has a shot.”

Although he insisted he’s “not afraid of any position I’m put in,” the normally brash coach admitted he crossed the line when he predicted a championship for his team before the 2010 season.

“Guaranteeing that Super Bowl is always going to haunt me,” he said. “If I could ever have  a do-over, that would be it.”

Unable to find a trade partner, the Chiefs released quarterback Matt Cassel on Thursday. Cassel became expendable after the team acquired Alex Smith from the 49ers and signed Chase Daniel as a free agent.

Matt Cassel

Cassel, whom the Chiefs obtained from the Patriots in 2009, struggled the last two years after a solid 2010 season. Last season he played nine games, completing 161 passes for 1,796 yards and six touchdowns with 12 interceptions. He also fumbled the ball nine times, losing seven. Cassel, 30, was due to earn $7.5 million in 2013.

• The Jets, apparently not impressed with what they’re hearing regarding offers for Darrelle Revis, reportedly are still listening but are not actively shopping the veteran cornerback and are not committed to trading him.

The Buccaneers were rumored to be actively pursuing Revis but were not willing to part with their first-round pick this year.

Revis, entering the final year of his four-year, $46 million deal, is believed to be seeking about $15 million per year in his new contract.

The Jets continued to say goodbye to players Wednesday, as leading rusher Shonn Greene agreed to a three-year deal with the Titans, cornerback LaRon Landry signed a four-year deal with the Colts and safety Yeremiah Bell joined the Cardinals on a one-year deal.

Reggie Bush

The Lions continue their aggressive pursuit of Dolphins free agent running back Reggie Bush, reportedly telling Bush on Tuesday that he can start ahead of Mikel Leshoure.

Bush is rumored to be considering the Cardinals, Redskins and Bengals as well, with an eye toward the team that will give him the best opportunity. He rushed for 986 yards last season.

“Reggie has a tough decision to go through,” a source close to Bush told Yahoo! Sport’s Jason Cole. “He’s very careful about how he considers these situations. He asks a lot of questions and wants to know all the ins and outs about how a team wants to use him.

“But, you know, in his heart, he wants to play all the time.”

• Rams free agent receiver Brandon Gibson reportedly has a visit scheduled with the Jets on Wednesday, with the Dolphins waiting should New York not make an acceptable offer. Gibson caught 51 passes for 691 yards and touchdowns in 16 games (13 starts) last season.

• Defensive lineman Mike DeVito joined the exodus out of New York, leaving the Jets to sign a reported three-year, $12 million deal with the Chiefs. The 28-year-old DeVito, a Cape Cod native and University of Maine product, started the past three seasons for the Jets.

• The Chiefs also acquired tight end Anthony Fasano, who caught 41 passes for 332 yards and five touchdowns in 2012, his fifth season with the Dolphins. Fasano, 28, started his pro career with two seasons in Dallas.

• According to multiple reports, the Buccaneers are making a push to acquire Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, with the Eagles in the picture as well. The Jets, desperate for cap space, reportedly restructured the contracts of receiver Santonio Holmes and cornerback Antonio Cromartie.

• In addition to landing receiver Mike Wallace on Tuesday, the Dolphins acquired Ravens free agent linebacker Dannell Ellerbe as well. Ellerbe’s deal is said to be worth $35 million over five years. Ellerbe, 27, had 66 tackles (43 solo) and 4.5 sacks last season, his fourth in Baltimore.

• The Ravens, who lost Ellerbe and Paul Kruger (Browns), picked up defensive lineman Chris Canty, reportedly for $8 million over three years. The 6-foot-7, 317-pound Canty, 30, had three sacks in nine games for the Giants last season. Canty played for the Cowboys from 2005-08 before joining the Giants.

• The Bears picked up a couple of assets in tight end Martellus Bennett and offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod. Bennett, signed for four years, had 55 catches for 626 yards and five touchdowns for the Giants last season. Bushrod, 28, spent the past six seasons with the Saints, starting at left tackle the last four years. His five-year deal is worth a reported $35.965 million.

• The Broncos added some protection for Peyton Manning, signing former Chargers guard Louis Vasquez to a four-year, $23.5 million deal, according to USA Today. Vasquez, a third-round pick of the Chargers in 2009, started 54 games in San Diego, including all 16 last season.

• The Titans signed a tight end and lost one, bringing in Delanie Walker while seeing Jared Cook head to the Rams, according to multiple reports.

• The Chargers agreed to a two-year deal with Eagles free agent offensive tackle King Dunlap, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. The 6-foot-9, 330-pound Dunlap, who started 12 games in Philadelphia last season, reportedly could earn as much as $6 million under his new contract. Dunlap, 27, was a seventh-round draft pick in 2008 and has spent his entire career in Philadelphia.

Peter King

Sports Illustrated football writer Peter King spoke with Mut & Merloni Friday about the legacies of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, the “idiocy” of a potential Darrelle Revis trade, and Terry Francona‘s book.

King, a lifelong Red Sox fan, said he’d gone to a New York bookstore where Francona was signing copies of the book with the intention of meeting the manager and thanking him for everything he’d done for the team. When he found there would be a 75-minute wait, though, he decided against it.

“I just started to think to myself, this is behind enemy lines and you’ve got an hour-and-15- minute wait in the dead of winter to get Terry Francona’s signature on his book,” King said. “I thought that spoke volumes about Red Sox fans and about their feelings about Terry Francona.”

King also sided with Francona on the issue of Red Sox management trying to bring in players who would draw ratings, regardless of how they fit with the team.

“I’ve been a sportswriter since 1980, and if people’s ratings are down, people always start talking about, let’s get [Tim] Tebow, let’s get that guy, let’s market to the women, let’s do this,” King said. “The bottom line in all of this is the only thing that gets people to watch your games and gets people to sit in the stands is winning. If you want to have great ratings in April, go get Mr. America. but as soon as you go 6-12 and it’s May 1, people say, ‘I have other things to do tonight, I’m not going to watch a game.’ The only way to appeal to a fan base is to win, and then they won’t care if you’ve got 11 schnauzers out there.”

On the topic of the upcoming Super Bowl, King said he thinks the most interesting storyline is the comparison between the styles of Joe Flacco and Colin Kaepernick.

“Even though they play a lot of no-huddle now in Baltimore, Joe Flacco is not running around very much,” King said. “He’s not the mobile guy. And Colin Kaepernick, he can do anything. He can sit there in the pocket and study you and beat you with a great arm. … Everybody’s talking about his running. Can you see this guy throw, what an incredible arm he has? So I think if you underestimate his arm he’ll kill you throwing it, and everybody’s seen that he can beat you running it, too.”

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Mike DeVito

The Jets are 4-6 and heavy underdogs heading into Thursday night’s game against the Patriots, but one player indicated the team is feeling “loose” heading into the contest.

Jets defensive end Mike DeVito said the normal tightness associated with a matchup against the Patriots is missing this week, and he said the team is ready to go.

“I feel like we were real loose this week at practice, which is good to see,” said DeVito a Cape Cod native who played collegiately at Maine. “I think a tendency that we’ve had in the past when it’s Patriots Week is to tighten up, you naturally get a little bit tight because you recognize the importance of the game, and how physical and ratcheted up it always is. … You play this game too tight, you’re not going to be successful. You play this game loose and with swag and having fun, that’s when you’re going to do well, and I think guys are happy about that.

“I just know we play well when we feel like this.”

Added DeVito when asked if the team was ready to play its best game: “Without a doubt, yeah, without a doubt. Guys are really confident. We’re jelling as a team, we believe in each other, and I have no doubt that we’re going to be ready to go on Thursday night.”

Jets center Matt Slauson wants it to be known that the Jets are ready to fight.

“I would expect to see a high-motor, high-enthusiasm team. … We’re going to be flying around that field,” he said. “Regardless of what happens in the game, we’re going to fight until the very end of the game with everything we got.”

♦ Rex Ryan is not underestimating the talent level of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. The Jets coach hailed Brady as a “once-in-a-generation quarterback” as he prepares his team to defend the Patriots offense.

“The thing about him, he’s a machine yet he’s passionate and a fiery leader,” Ryan said Tuesday. “You wish he was just a machine. His competitive side elevates his team as well. That’s what you get from those once-in-a-generation-type quarterbacks.”

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