There is not an easy solution out there for Darrelle Revis in free agency. The cornerback, who was just cleared of all charges by a Pittsburgh judge in a late-night, hometown incident, is free to try and find a new team after being released earlier this offseason by the Jets.

And there’s one team that, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, makes a ton of sense. Yup, it’s the Patriots.

From Volin’s Sunday notes column:

Don’t discount the return of Darrelle Revis, now a free agent after being released by the Jets. One league executive said the Patriots “are the only team that makes sense” to sign Revis, as not many teams have a need for an expensive, aging cornerback with questionable work ethic. But Belichick could get the most out of Revis and find a way to use him — maybe not as a starting cornerback, but certainly as a depth piece at corner or strong safety.

As Volin also notes, signing Revis would be a fun way for Patriots coach Bill Belichick to “stick it to the Jets,” which is absolutely something he’s gotten good at over the years. 

Revis, of course, played one season with the Patriots in 2014, helping New England win Super Bowl XLIX. He signed with New England in free agency before the 2014 season before heading back to join the Jets on a mammoth contract that worked out about as well as everyone expected it to when he signed it. 

There are definitely some concerns here, and one huge obstacle to a potential deal. Yup, it’s money.

Revis has long been one of the best in the business at making the most possible money and making sure whatever team employed him was forking over as much cash as possible.

However, it’s going to be tough to make it happen this time around. See, Revis is going to get $6 million from the Jets in 2017 whether he’s playing football or not. If the Patriots pay him $2 million, he won’t get to double dip. So in essence, he’d be playing football for free if he takes a contract for anything less than $6 million. (One anonymous GM wouldn’t even want him for free.)

Unfortunately for Revis, his play has declined enough where he’s not going to find an $8 million deal in free agency, and he’s definitely not going to find that kind of cash in Belichick’s coffers. 

There are also rumors about whether or not Revis even wants to play football and concerns about whether or not he would be willing to switch positions. He left the Jets under less than ideal circumstances, complaining that the organization needed to treat him with “more class.” 

Unless Revis is willing to alter his typical financial approach to football, it’s really difficult to imagine him ending up in the NFL in 2017. But if there was ever a team that could talk him into taking less and still managing to get the most out of him, it’s the Patriots.