Jim Corbett

USA TODAY Sports

Five-time Pro Bowler Darrelle Revis is expected to do more than help the New England Patriots defense take away half the field from opponents in 2014.

The newly acquired shutdown cornerback should help balance the battle for an AFC Super Bowl berth against the restocked Denver Broncos.

When it seemed Broncos general manager John Elway was winning the offseason after shelling out $60 million guaranteed on former Patriots cornerback Aqib Talib, Dallas pass rusher DeMarcus Ware and Cleveland safety T.J. Ward, the Patriots counter-punched by signing Revis.

Take it from former Patriots great Ty Law, a longtime confidante of Revis who has trained with him daily.

The signing of Revis to a one-year, $12-million deal following Wednesday's release by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dramatically improves New England's chances of winning the AFC, Law says.

"The Patriots were only a few pieces away from being a Super Bowl team again -- now that you have Darrelle, hey, why not?," Law told USA TODAY Sports Thursday. "Darrelle is an upgrade. No disrespect to Aqib, who is a great corner in his own right. But outside of Denver in the AFC, who else do you see besides the Patriots?

"That is what was so appealing for Darrelle."

The reigning AFC champion Broncos eliminated the Patriots, 26-16 in the AFC title game before getting throttled 43-8 by the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII.

Law, a former Patriots star, who helped New England win three Super Bowls is extremely close with Revis. They grew up in Aliquippa, Penn., played together during the 2008 season with the New York Jets and live near each other in South Florida.

Has Law ever seen Revis, 28, happier?

"No, he's ecstatic," said Law, a Patriot from 1995-2004. "He's in a damn good place -- able to get paid and play for a championship team, especially after going through that tumultuous (4-12) year in Tampa Bay. Playing in New York, he smelled a Super Bowl a couple times. He can taste it right now."

Law, 40, called the one-year signing "A business decision to win," noting Revis turned down four other offers he wouldn't name, including more than Talib's six-year, $57-million deal.

"Darrelle took a $4 million pay cut," Law said. "This definitely wasn't a money play because if that was the case, he would have gone with somebody long term, would have filled his pockets. He made the decision that 'As long as I'm getting paid fairly, I want to win a championship.'"

Revis is a needed difference maker for a defense that ranked 26th in allowing 373.1 yards per game.

Revis figures to be the Revis of old two years removed from 2012 left anterior cruciate ligament surgery that wiped out most of that season. He started all 16 games last season with 50 tackles, 11 passes defensed and two interceptions.

In seven seasons, Revis has 21 interceptions, 108 passes defensed and three touchdowns.

"People want to talk about Adrian Peterson, what he did," Law said, referencing the Minnesota Vikings tailback's remarkable 2012 comeback from a 2011 torn ACL. "But when you're a cornerback, you're back pedaling, running backwards half the time. So I see him being back to the old Darrelle Revis this year -- up in your face, playing man-to-man, bump-and-run. He'll have that freedom from coach Belichick."

Revis' return to the AFC East with two cracks a year against the team that traded him to Tampa Bay before last April's draft pours fuel on the Jets-Patriots rivalry.

"Oh man, the Jets, they really don't have a chance now," Law said. "Even with Darrelle, the Patriots were just a better coached, better football team.

"Now when you add one of the premier -- not just a corners, one of the top five players overall to a Bill Belichick-coached team with Tom Brady? The sky's the limit."

Law considers this a makeup call for Revis's uncle, former NFL nose tackle Sean Gilbert failing to heed Law's recruitment of the former Carolina Panther in 2003 before the Patriots won their third Super Bowl.

"Darelle Revis is still the best cornerback in football," Law says. "A lot of people argue Richard Sherman. Darrelle is definitely going to help the Patriots get to the next level, especially if they play Denver in the postseason."