PHOENIX — It was a Hall of a night for the Jets.
It was announced on Thursday that Gang Green legends Darrelle Revis and Joe Klecko were elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They will be enshrined in August in Canton, Ohio.
Revis, 37, was elected in his first year on the ballot. He was seven-time Pro Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro selection during his career. He played eight seasons for the Jets over two stints. The Jets drafted him No. 14 overall in 2007 out of Pittsburgh. He quickly became a star and “Revis Island” was born with opposing quarterbacks afraid to throw Revis’ way.
When Rex Ryan was hired as coach in 2009, Revis became the key piece of the Jets’ defense. Ryan would put Revis on the opponent’s top receiver then scheme up the other side of the field. Statistics do not tell the story of Revis’ dominance because there was so many games when teams did not test him. He had 29 interceptions, 832 tackles and 139 passes defended in his career.
Revis’ time with the Jets will also be remembered for contract drama. His 2010 training camp holdout was a major storyline on “Hard Knocks.” The Jets eventually got him a contract extension, but they traded Revis to the Buccaneers in 2013. He then won a Super Bowl as a member of the Patriots in 2014.
Revis returned to the Jets in 2015 when new general manager Mike Maccagnan signed him to a five-year, $70 million deal. The reunion was nice for a year but then soured. He was cut after the 2016 season. Revis finished his career with the Chiefs and retired in 2018.
Though Revis’ wait for his Hall call was short, Klecko had to have patience.
Klecko was selected as one of three senior candidates in August after failing to get voted in by the regular selection committee for years. Klecko, 69, played 11 seasons for the Jets and was a Pro Bowler at three different positions — defensive end, tackle and nose tackle.
Klecko was a two-time All-Pro selection and he led the NFL with 20.5 sacks in 1981, before the stat was recognized by the league. Klecko was a member of the famed “Sack Exchange” defensive line along with Mark Gastineau, Marty Lyons and Abdul Salaam. Klecko’s 78 career sacks are second in franchise history behind Gastineau (107.5). Klecko finished second in voting for the AP Defensive Player of the Year award in 1981 to the Giants’ Lawrence Taylor.
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