No one questions ‘purge’ anymore

DARRELLE Revis stood in the auditorium of the Jets’ headquarters on Tuesday and officially retired. This came three months after Nick Mangold stood in the same spot to announce his retirement.

General manager Mike Maccagnan sat in the front row for both press conferences and watched as both Jets legends said goodbye. Maccagnan was the man who essentially retired both when he kicked them to the curb after the 2016 season, convinced neither was worth what the team was paying them.

The Revis and Mangold transactions were part of a series of moves Maccagnan made in the winter and spring of 2017 that came to be known as “the purge.” The moves were unpopular with many Jets fans at the time, who saw recognizable names and players whose jerseys they had worn getting shown the door unceremoniously. This led to talk of tanking and 0-16 and cries that the Jets could not win with such a terrible roster (some of which I was guilty of ).

Now, a year later, the moves Maccagnan made with the urging/blessing of owner Woody Johnson look like the right ones. Look at the list of players Maccagnan dumped in that offseason and where they are now.

Revis: retired at 33 after playing six games at the end of last season with the Chiefs.

Mangold: did not play last season and retired in April.

David Harris: retired after spend- ing last season with the Patriots, but barely playing.

Eric Decker: a free agent after a nondescript year with the Titans.

Brandon Marshall: trying to make the Seahawks after a short stint with the Giants.

Breno Giacomini: trying to make the Raiders after signing a one-year deal this spring.

Marcus Gilchrist: also trying to make the Raiders on a one-year deal.

Nick Folk: a free agent after getting cut by the Buccaneers in the middle of last year. Ryan Clady: retired It is impossible to look at any of those moves and say Maccagnan should have held onto one of those players longer.

The initial shock of seeing all of those familiar names gone has worn off now, and the Jets’ plan is much clearer. They went younger in 2017, landed what they hope is the franchise quarterback of the future in Sam Darnold, added a few other pieces like cornerback Trumaine Johnson and are primed to make a push in 2019, when they are projected to have the most salarycap space in the NFL.

Revis’ goodbye Tuesday felt like closing the book on those Rex Ryan glory years of 2009 and 2010, when the Jets went to back-to-back AFC Championship games. There are no players left from those teams on the current roster, and the Jets have now honored Revis, Mangold and D’Brickashaw Ferguson, core pieces of those teams.

There were a few members of the current Jets at Revis’ press conference on Tuesday, and they posed for photos with him afterward.

It was a day for the Jets to honor their past, but it was also a reminder of Maccagnan’s bold moves in 2017 that ushered in the future.