The New York Jets have a very important decision to make regarding Ryan Fitzpatrick, but they don’t have many options.
Going into the 2015 season, the New York Jets looked like a team that would push for the playoffs based on the strength of its defense, not it’s offense. The previous year, the Jets ranked 28th in scoring (17.7 ppg) and 32nd in passing yards (184.1 ypg) while their defense was expected to regain their old form by the hire of new head coach Todd Bowles in addition to the return of long-time Jets Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie.
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In mid-March of 2015, the Jets acquired Ryan Fitzpatrick via trade with the Houston Texans. At the time, the addition of Fitzpatrick was seen as little more than securing a veteran backup behind 2013 2nd round draft pick, Geno Smith but that all changed roughly five months later at Jets training camp.
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In a dispute that reportedly centered around $600, former New York Jets defensive end IK Enemkpali broke Geno Smith’s jaw, during a bizarre locker confrontation. The injury to Smith thrust Fitzpatrick into the starting role, making the Jets the sixth NFL team that he has started for in his career. Taking advantage of the opportunity, as Fitzpatrick tends to do, he set a new Jets single season touchdown record (31).
Know by some as a “Poor Man’s Brett Favre”, Fitzpatrick is never shy to force a throw but generally lacks the arm strength necessary to consistently complete passes deep down the field or outside the hash marks, as evidenced by his completion percentage in 2015 (59.6%). His main strength’s as a quarterback are put on full display in Chan Gailey’s spread offense where Fitzpatrick can take snaps from the shotgun and make relatively fast and easy reads. Fitzpatrick is also not afraid to pull the ball down and run when necessary as evidenced by his 60 rush attempts in 2015.
One of the main contributors to Fitzpatrick’s success in 2015 had to do with his supporting cast. The wide receiver duo of Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker may be a top three pairing in the NFL. The two accounted for 2529 of Fitzpatrick’s 3,905 passing yards on the year (64.76%) and combined for 26 of his 31 touchdowns.
While it may seem as though Fitzpatrick relies on his ultra-talented wide receivers to bail him out, they are going to bat for him in the media. When asked about the prospect of Colin Kaepernick being traded to the Jets, Marshall had no problem backing Fitzpatrick, as NFL.com writer Chris Wesseling wrote in February.
"“I don’t want Kaepernick,” Marshall told ESPN’sFirst Take on Wednesday morning. “I think he’s good. My guy’s Fitz. It’s nothing against Kaepernick, but what I’m saying is that I have my quarterbacks and I’m good.”“The second half of Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s career is going to be amazing,” Marshall said, “because he’s with his guy Chan Gailey and he really owns this offense. And that’s what you want out of the quarterback position.”"
Sentiments like these have become commonplace for Fitzpatrick, who has the personality and leadership traits that every team and fan base desires in a quarterback.
But bigger than Fitzpatrick’s gun-slinger mentality, his willingness to sacrifice his body or the respect he has from his teammates, the number one reason that the New York Jets must re-sign Fitzpatrick has to do with the other options available.
Assuming that Brock Osweiler is re-signed by the Denver Broncos, these are some of the remaining free agent quarterbacks, none of which would come close to an upgrade over Fitzpatrick:
- Luke McCown – A career 9/15 touchdown to interception ratio
- Brandon Weeden – A career 31/3o touchdown to interception ratio
- Matt Hasselbeck – 40 years old and has not seen significant reps since 2011
- Kellen Clemens – A career 16/20 touchdown to interception ratio
- Matt Cassel – A 25/32 touchdown to interception ratio since 2012
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Over the course of his 11 year NFL career, Fitzpatrick has shown a propensity for inaccurate throws, questionable decision-making and untimely turnovers but he has also proven to be a capable quarterback that teammates trust and respect. The Jets must make re-signing Fitzpatrick their number one priority this off-season.