Time for the New York Jets and Ryan Fitzpatrick to Make a Deal
The stare down has gone on long enough. The New York Jets need to re-sign their quarterback.
Some of us have been a part of or have known a really solid couple that gets in a fight and then wind up seeing other people. More often than not they play the field and eventually realize they belong together. So they get back and continue their relationship.
That is exactly where we are with the stalemate between Ryan Fitzpatrick and the New York Jets.
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It’s no secret that Fitzpatrick posted the season of his life with the Jets last year. He nearly posted 4,000 yards passing, a figure ranking him second in franchise history. He threw 31 touchdown passes, tops in team history, and seven scores better than any season in Fitzpatrick’s career. He led the Jets to a 10-6 record, by far the best season of his life, and the team came within one game of making the playoffs.
New York felt the “Fitzmagic”. Wide receiver Brandon Marshall felt it too. Earlier this offseason, he posted a video to Instagram using teddy bears to depict a touchdown pass to him, from Fitzpatrick. If the teddy bears were confusing, the cadence of “Harvard 80!” gave it away. He wants Fitzpatrick back.
No, it’s obviously not his call, but it says something when the chemistry with the number one receiver is so strong.
Let’s look at the team perspective first.
Courtesy of Kevin Patra at NFL.com, the two sides are far apart in the negotiations. Reportedly, the Jets have offered around $7 million per year, and Fitzpatrick is looking for something near the Sam Bradford deal of $18 million per year. On one hand, the team doesn’t need to up the ante yet. Nobody has been running to sign Fitzpatrick to a deal anywhere near his demands. And as Patra also wrote, the Broncos reached out, but the price is too high.
But, on the other hand, with all of the quarterback openings closing up, who is left? The Broncos turned to Mark Sanchez and the Browns to Robert Griffin III. Who is the Jets quarterback, if not Ryan Fitzpatrick? Josh McCown, who is still a member of the Cleveland Browns, is not an upgrade to Fitzpatrick. The team doesn’t want to commit to a 33-year-old, but they would commit to a 36-year-old?
How about Brian Hoyer, who is currently under contract with the Houston Texans? He had a nice year in 2015, but his career completion percentage is worse than that of Fitzpatrick.
Dec 17, 2015 St. Louis, MO, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon (8) against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams won 31-23. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Colin Kaepernick would have been a younger option, although you could argue either side of whether or not he would have been a GOOD option. But, he is staying in San Francisco. Mike Glennon is a good idea, and could happen with Muhammad Wilkerson, but may prove to be difficult due to Wilkerson’s contract demands.
They could turn to Geno Smith, but according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report, the team no longer has faith that he could get the job done.
Make no mistake about it, the Jets need Fitzpatrick to be successful in 2016. They clearly don’t have a strong interest in anyone else either. They have not made a serious move at any available quarterback. They brought Griffin to town for two days, but didn’t close a deal. Mike Maccagnan passed the visit off as routine, as reported by Kimberley Martin of Newsday:
“It really was more to do our due diligence with him.”
If Maccagnan wanted Griffin, he would have signed him. Even former general manager John Idzik didn’t let a player out of the building that he wanted to sign (see Eric Decker as the example). The Jets want nobody else.
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For Fitzpatrick, it is a bit more cut and dry. On one hand, this is all good for him. He has stayed in town, even appearing at a major reunion event at Radio City Music Hall this past week. He knows what the team is or isn’t doing, about the quarterback situation. He knows the team wants him back as they have made that viewpoint public on multiple occasions.
So why come down from your demands if you are the only game in town?
Because there is nowhere else for him to go. The options are gone. Sanchez, Griffin and even Brandon Weeden have been acquired or retained by teams. So has Kaepernick. He no longer has any cards to play to drive the price anywhere near what he is looking for.
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For any relationship to get back together, somebody needs to make the first move. Whether it’s the Jets or Fitzpatrick, it’s time to make the first move. Offseason programs begin for the team on April 18th, and all great seasons start in the classroom.
Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo, during the “Mike and the Mad Dog” reunion show (via Neil Best of Newsday) told Fitzpatrick to “sign the contract!”
It’s time for this standoff to end.