What is the New York Jets’ Plan at Quarterback?
With the quarterback situation dragging on towards the draft, what exactly is the New York Jets’ plan?
The New York Jets stand before us without a starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick had the season of his life in 2015, and a season for the ages among Jets’ quarterbacks, yet he sits without a contract.
According to Ian Rappaport of the NFL network, he will stay without a contract with the team through the draft. During a recent episode of “NFL Total Access”, he stated that the Jets’ offer is slightly less than what Chase Daniel received, which according to Mike Florio of Pro Football talk was three years at $21 million. Fitzpatrick is looking for market value for a starting quarterback, which was set initially by Sam Bradford, as Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported at two years, $35 million.
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Needless to say, team and player are about as far apart as they can be. So the question is, what is the plan? If we look at the events that have transpired, it’s truly hard to say.
Right from season’s end, the Jets have been clear about setting a priority of re-signing Fitzpatrick. Todd Bowles told Seth Walder of the New York Daily News at the end of the season that they wanted Ryan back. In March, general manager Mike Maccagnan stated in a media conference call, reported by Kimberley Martin of Newsday, that he too wanted Fitzpatrick back.
Yet, they are no closer to a deal than they were when the 2015 season closed. If he is a priority, why are they not moving their offer up?
You might say, “Well, nobody else seems to be interested in Fitzpatrick, why should the Jets raise their price?” But, now take it from Fitz’s perspective. The Jets seem to be on the record, often, stating that Fitzpatrick is a priority. If I am Fitz, why not make the Jets pay, if they prioritize me so badly?
So, without their bearded veteran, the Jets have looked at options for Plan B. Have they really? Think about it. They have had all of these quarterbacks in, but couldn’t make a deal with anyone? They investigated Colin Kaepernick, but made no trade. They didn’t make a major play for Brock Osweiler. They had Robert Griffin III for a two-day visit, and he left without a contract. Brian Hoyer paid a visit to One Jets Drive, even took a physical, yet left without a deal.
Why? The team likes to return to this phrase “due diligence”. In discussing the visit of RGIII, Kimberley Martin of Newsday reported the following answer by Maccagnan:
"“It really was more to do our due diligence with him.”"
It’s a great term to throw out there, almost the way Mike Tannenbaum talked about “the process” ad nauseam. But when you give it some thought, the argument is a bit transparent. If the Jets really were interested in pursuing a “Plan B,” they could have come to a deal with one of these guys. Brian Hoyer’s career stats are similar to those of Fitz, and he would have cost less. They couldn’t come up with a deal?
They didn’t want to make a deal with Hoyer, or any other quarterback, because Fitz is the right guy, and they know it.
So are the Jets pursuing a “Plan B”, as evidenced by the quarterback visits, or are they just putting up a smoke screen, evidenced by the fact that no deal has been made? Sitting on the fence doesn’t make any sense, because, if not Fitz, who? The well of veteran quarterbacks to come in and compete is drying up.
Are they comfortable with Geno Smith leading the team? Maybe, although reports have been on both sides of the issue on that one. It’s fairly unanimous that Bryce Petty won’t be ready to take the reins in year two, needing another year of watching from the sidelines. The Jets would be well-served with a veteran quarterback on the roster.
Maybe they will make a trade for Mike Glennon on draft day. He is a young player that is efficient with the football, with 29 touchdowns versus 15 interceptions in his young career. Rich Cimini of ESPN believes that Glennon would be a fallback option for the Jets, although Maccagnan has been quiet on the subject.
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It just seems that the Jets are looking for the quarterback situation to resolve itself. They haven’t moved on Fitzpatrick, yet they haven’t made a serious move on a second option either. What is the plan? The offense won’t be any good without a competent quarterback.
Jets’ fans everywhere hope that the plan comes into focus soon.