Darrelle Revis’ first day as a Chief includes a playful welcome

Darrelle Revis’ first day as a Chief included at least one playful moment.

To hear safety Ron Parker tell it, when the players went through their defensive meetings Thursday morning, Revis was sitting when one of his teammates yelled “We got a new guy in the room!”

“Everybody was waiting for him to stand up, and he was like ‘Okay, y’all know who I am,’ ” Parker said with a laugh. “Everybody was like ‘Naw, get up and say who you are.’ ”

So Revis went ahead and did that, getting the seven-time Pro Bowler’s tenure with the Chiefs off to a nice start after signing late Wednesday afternoon.

“It started off loose,” safety Eric Murray said. “I think he knows we’re a loose team now. He kind of got the vibe of everybody. It was pretty good.”

Parker said he could see Revis, 32, take to his new surroundings as the day went on.

“He just loosened up and was himself, ready to get to work and figure this thing out,” Parker said. “It was funny; you can tell the chemistry and everything is going to be there. It’s all about having fun, and adding another guy like that to the group, I think it’s going to be fun.”

The Chiefs signed Revis, who spoke to the media on Wednesday, to an incentive-laden two-year deal for the veterans’ minimum this year and a $10 million option for 2018 that becomes guaranteed if he is on the roster for the start of the 2018 league year, according to NFL Network.

That means the Chiefs can cut him before that point –– which begins at 3 p.m. on March 14 –– and be off the hook for that money, essentially making this a low-risk, high-upside proposition, especially if Revis is indeed in better shape than he was last year, when he struggled with the Jets.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Revis –– who now weighs 208 pounds, only three pounds off his prime weight and “way” less than he weighed a year ago, he admitted –– looks good physically, and didn’t rule out Revis suiting up in the Chiefs’ home game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

Whether Revis plays or not remains up in the air, of course, but the 30-year-old Parker –– who appears to be assuming a more vocal leadership role in the secondary after the season-ending injury to Eric Berry –– is excited about what Revis’ addition could mean to the league’s 28th-ranked pass defense.

“This could mean something big, man,” Parker said. “Anytime you add another veteran to the group who knows the game, it’s a good thing. He can teach us something that we don’t know. And I know for somebody like me, it might be some stuff I can teach him that he’s doesn’t know. So it works both ways. It’s good to have somebody out there who knows the game, who knows what’s going on. It just adds help.”

Parker has also gone out of way to encourage the young corners on the roster whose playing time could be threatened by Revis’ addition. Aside from star cornerback Marcus Peters, the other corner spots have been a rotating cast of characters due to injuries and inconsistency.

But Parker’s message to those corners –– Steven Nelson, Phillip Gaines, Kenneth Acker and Terrance Mitchell –– is to remain resilient. Parker, who was released eight times before finding a permanent home with the Chiefs in 2013, knows the importance of that all too well.

“I want them to keep their head up and keep playing football,” Parker said. “Another opportunity will come around, and when they get their opportunity, I want them to take advantage of it full-time.”

That message doubly applies to fourth-year cornerback Gaines, who was victimized in zero coverage for a big gain in overtime that set up the New York Giants’ game-winning field goal in the Chiefs’ 12-9 loss on Sunday.

“I want people to know that he played a great game,” Parker said. “It came down to one play, and that’s all everybody saw –– that one last play. But you couldn’t say anything else up until that one play.”

At the same time, Parker reiterated that it’s good to add another high-IQ player like Revis to the secondary, and he’s not the only one who thinks that.

“Aw man, it’s great,” said Mitchell, 25. “As a young corner in the game coming up with dreams and ambitions of being a top cornerback, he was one of the guys that, you know, I used to look up to. Him being here, it’s like a dream or something. It’s crazy.”

Mitchell was being genuine about this, too. In the locker room Thursday, he went up to Revis and asked him a question on press technique, physically mimicking the steps as Revis offered advice.

“Man, I’m trying to be a sponge,” Mitchell said. “That’s Revis Island. So I’m trying to get on ideas on how I can start forming me an island. Watching him and being in the same room with him, it’s cool.”

Murray, a young defensive back himself at 23, agreed.

“Just another brain in here with more wisdom,” Murray said. “I feel like we’re all pretty young … we can all take something from him.”

That doesn’t just apply to the defensive backs. Second-year inside linebacker Reggie Ragland had confidence in the corners they already had, but like Murray, Mitchell and Parker, he thinks adding a future Hall of Famer like Revis certainly won’t hurt.

“If anything man, it brings experience,” he said. “He’s got the knowledge of the game that can help everybody out in that secondary, regardless. He’s even got knowledge of being around good linebackers. That’s a lot of knowledge right there.”

This story was originally published November 23, 2017 at 4:52 PM with the headline "Darrelle Revis’ first day as a Chief includes a playful welcome."