Geno Smith

Ryan Fitzpatrick Not In Jets’ Post-2016 Plans

October 23rd, 2016 at 6:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jets made their recent dissatisfaction with Ryan Fitzpatrick known this week after benching him for Geno Smith, whom the organization did not view as a sufficient option going into the season. But the team’s frustration with Fitzpatrick can be traced back as far as the spring, when the lengthy impasse that forced him to miss all of the team’s pre-training camp began, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports.

Fitzpatrick balked at a three-year, $24MM offer from the Jets this summer, and now the 34-year-old passer doesn’t have a future with the team beyond this season, sources informed La Canfora.

Fitzpatrick received the salary bump he sought coming off the career year, signing a one-season deal worth $12MM, but obviously hasn’t replicated his 2015 performance thus far. Although, he did lead a Gang Green comeback effort today in relief of an injured Smith despite entering Week 7 with a 5-to-11 touchdown pass-to-interception ratio and having completed just 57 percent of his throws. Fitzpatrick threw for 120 yards and a touchdown pass off the bench.

Todd Bowles, per La Canfora, backtracked on his pro-Fitz comments after the Cardinals loss upon seeing game film. The NFL’s turnover leader struggled with specified keys and reads in the Jets’ Monday-night defeat. Bowles’ reconsideration to give Smith another chance was widely approved throughout the organization, La Canfora reports.

The issue here, obviously, is the Jets don’t have a surefire long-term solution right now. Smith’s contract is up after 2016 as well, and the team plans to essentially redshirt Bryce Petty (again) and second-rounder Christian Hackenberg this season, with Petty being the option if Smith fares poorly. There is some hope within the organization Smith can revive his career, however. Fitzpatrick, though, isn’t willing to concede this job despite what he’s viewing as a lack of belief from the Jets.

“I think I should start every week,” Fitzpatrick said postgame, via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter links). “When the owner stops believing in you and the GM stops believing in you and coaches stop believing in you, sometimes all you have is yourself.”

Bowles has not announced his Week 8 starter, with Smith’s knee injury leaving that uncertain for now. Smith completed 4-of-8 passes for 95 yards and a touchdown against the Ravens.

Jets Notes: Geno, Petty, Richardson

October 23rd, 2016 at 10:57am CST by Rory Parks

The Jets are just 1-5 and are turning the reins over to Geno Smith, but they have a chance to get back on track today against the banged-up and struggling Ravens. Let’s take a look at a few Jets-related notes as Gang Green attempts to right the ship:

Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com says that even though the Jets are putting their faith in Smith for the time being, the situation will remain fluid. Per Breer, New York could turn back to Ryan Fitzpatrick at some point this season, but the club also wants to get Bryce Petty some real game action to get a better idea of what they have in him (the coaching staff continues to believe that Christian Hackenberg is still too raw to be thrust into a regular-season contest). The Jets’ plans with Petty are part of the “competitive rebuild” that head coach Todd Bowles and GM Mike Maccagnan always knew the team needed. As Breer observes, of the 42 players the Jets cut from their 53-man roster over the past two years, only 13 are still in the league, which suggests that depth is still very much a work in progress.
Despite Breer’s report, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says Smith will get a “fair chance” to keep the starting job and will not necessarily be on a short leash.
The Jets recently worked out linebacker Lenny Jones and defensive end Josh Shirley, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
Rich Cimini of ESPN.com does not believe the Jets necessarily invested too much on their defensive line, but they did invest too much in defensive linemen with similar skill-sets (as Cimini observes, the team’s D-line consists of four defensive tackles). The team of course cannot move on from Muhammad Wilkerson after signing him to a massive contract this offseason, and New York will not move on from Leonard Williams, who may be the best player on the roster. That means that Sheldon Richardson, who has a fifth-year option for 2017, could be cut or traded after the season, although the market for his services will not be as robust as one might think. Per Cimini, opposing GMs are concerned about Richardson’s off-the-field issues.
In a separate piece, Cimini writes that there is a “bad vibe” in the Jets’ locker room at the moment, and although Bowles still commands the respect of his club, Cimini is beginning to wonder if the team can remain unified in the face of its losing streak, its generation gap–most of the best players on the club are either over 30 or under 25–and host of dominant personalities.

AFC Notes: Flacco, Incognito, Jets, Bengals

October 19th, 2016 at 9:45pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has irritation in the joint of his throwing shoulder and was withheld from practice Wednesday to try to improve the situation, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s not immediately clear whether Flacco will be ready to play against the Jets on Sunday, though head coach John Harbaugh believes he has a “legitimate chance” (via Marc Sessler of NFL.com). If Flacco can’t go, Baltimore will probably look to add a quarterback to place behind Ryan Mallett. The Ravens don’t have any QBs on their practice squad.

Here’s more from the AFC:

With the Bills’ Richie Incognito preparing to face his former team, the Dolphins, this week, the guard revisited the 2013 Bullygate scandal in Miami that led to a three-month suspension and left him unemployed for a year and a half. “I’m still searching for the lesson in all of it,” Incognito told Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel. League investigator Ted Wells concluded Incognito subjected then-teammate Jonathan Martin to “a pattern of harassment” that included racial slurs. “Jonathan and I were close friends. I cared about him,” Incognito said of Martin. “If anybody was there for Jonathan it was me.” Martin left the Dolphins amid the scandal in 2013 and spent parts of the next two seasons with the 49ers and Panthers. He’s now retired. Incognito has since held his own in Buffalo, which signed him to a one-year contract in February 2015. He went to his second Pro Bowl last season and subsequently re-signed with the Bills on a three-year, $15.75MM deal with $5.4MM in guarantees. “I can sleep good at night knowing what happened and what my actions were. I’m not saying I was a saint. But I sleep well at night knowing what I did,” added Incognito, who maintains that Martin and his camp concocted a false narrative.
The Jets benched quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick in favor of Geno Smith on Wednesday, but Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News isn’t exactly convinced the move will energize the 1-5 team. Restarting the Smith era is “destined to fail,” writes Mehta, whose reasons include the 26-year-old’s poor on-field production since entering and the lack of maturity he has shown in his four NFL seasons. Mehta expects Smith to quickly flame out in his latest audition, thereby paving the way for second-year man Bryce Petty to take the reins under center.
Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since suffering a back injury Oct. 3, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Thanks to both his back issue and offseason ankle surgery, the 2015 Pro Bowler hasn’t yet debuted this year. That could change Sunday against the Browns, per Dehner, who notes that Eifert was merely a limited participant Wednesday and will need to partake in a full practice before rejoining the Bengals’ lineup. The Bengals have gone a disappointing 2-4 this year without Eifert, who’s coming off an outstanding season. With 52 receptions, 615 yards and 13 touchdowns, the ex-Notre Dame star logged career highs across the board last year.
The Patriots worked out receiver Dres Anderson and linebacker Trevor Reilly on Wednesday, tweets Doug Kyed of NESN. Anderson went undrafted from Utah last year and spent some time with the 49ers, though he didn’t see any regular-season action. Reilly suited up 29 times and made 10 tackles with the Jets over the previous two seasons.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Latest On Jets’ Quarterback Change

October 19th, 2016 at 8:09pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Before Jets head coach Todd Bowles demoted quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to a backup role Wednesday, members of the team’s front office “made it clear” that they wanted Geno Smith to start, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. Nevertheless, sources told Costello that the decision was ultimately up to Bowles.

Team owner Woody Johnson gave both Bowles and general manager Mike Maccagnan votes of confidence Wednesday. However, the second-year head coach could face job security questions in the coming months if the team’s skid continues under Smith, per Costello, who writes that Fitzpatrick is unlikely to start another game with the Jets. If Smith stumbles, the team could turn to one of its more recent draft picks, 2015 fourth-rounder Bryce Petty or rookie second-rounder Christian Hackenberg, in an effort to find a long-term solution.

Fitzpatrick and Smith are scheduled to become free agents at season’s end. The younger of the two, Smith, just turned 26 last week and – based on both that and his second-round pedigree – might have untapped potential. The fourth-year man has been subpar during his NFL career, though, having completed just 57.9 percent of passes to accompany 27 touchdowns and 36 interceptions in 32 appearances (29 starts).

Picks have also been a problem for the 33-year-old Fitzpatrick, who’s last in the league in INTs (11) and passer rating (63.4) in 2016. In the latest (and perhaps final) start of his Jets career, Fitzpatrick hit on a mere 16 of 31 passes for 174 yards and a pick in the club’s 28-3 road loss to Arizona on Monday. That dropped the Jets to 1-5, a far cry from the 10-6 mark they posted with an effective Fitzpatrick at the helm last season.

Fitzpatrick expressed disappointment in his relegation to the bench Wednesday, telling reporters – including Kimberley A. Martin of Newsday – that “I don’t like it.” At the same time, he understands Bowles’ choice.

“I haven’t played well. I think that’s the bottom line,” admitted Fitzpatrick. “I’ve been around and been at it long enough to know that when you’re 1-5, usually good things aren’t happening, and it’s not all smiles in the building. So I don’t want to say that I expected it, but it’s not shocking to me that they wanted to change things up.”

With Fitzpatrick on the sidelines, the Smith-led Jets will attempt to begin turning their season around Sunday against the Ravens.

Jets To Start Geno Smith, Bench Fitzpatrick

October 19th, 2016 at 10:01am CST by Zachary Links

It’s Geno Smith time in New York. The Jets are planning to start Smith and bench Ryan Fitzpatrick, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Jets head coach Todd Bowles pulled Fitzpatrick in the fourth quarter of the team’s 28-3 loss to the Cardinals on Monday, but he gave the veteran quarterback a vote of confidence after the game. However, he was far less definitive when discussing the QB situation yesterday. Last night, Jets coaches huddled up and decided that Smith is the better choice for their team at this time.

Smith, a 2013 second-round pick, has been largely ineffective throughout his NFL career. Last season, Smith was hoping to prove his doubters wrong but never got the opportunity after he had his jaw broken in a now infamous locker room skirmish. Smith’s mid-season promotion will likely be his last chance to take the reins in New York.

On Monday, Smith was brought off the bench late in the game and completed 4 of 6 passes for 31 yards and an interception. In 32 games (29 starts), the West Virginia product has tossed 36 picks against 27 touchdowns. Needless to say, he’ll have to do much better than that to keep the starting job.

Fitzpatrick was embroiled in a high-profile contract standoff with the Jets this offseason. Initially, the Harvard product demanded to be paid in line with his 2015 performance on a multi-year deal. Skeptical of whether the career journeyman could deliver again, the Jets insisted on a mid-range deal that would allow them to bail after just one season. The two sides eventually landed closer to Fitzpatrick’s side, but the Jets must be grateful that they did not give into his demands or public pressure.

Through six games, Fitzpatrick is pretty much at the bottom of the NFL in most notable passing categories, including last-place rankings in interceptions (11) and QB rating (63.4).

After getting smashed 28-3 by Arizona, Smith will now look to lead Gang Green to victory at home against the Ravens on Sunday.

Jets Could Make Quarterback Change

October 18th, 2016 at 9:31pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Jets head coach Todd Bowles pulled Ryan Fitzpatrick in the fourth quarter of the team’s 28-3 loss to the Cardinals on Monday, but he gave the veteran quarterback a vote of confidence after the game.

“Fitz will be back next week … It definitely wasn’t Fitz’s fault. He barely had any time to throw,” said Bowles, whose team dropped to 1-5 (via NFL.com).

Bowles was far less definitive on Wednesday, indicating that he and his staff will decide on a starting signal-caller for Week 7 at a Tuesday night meeting, per Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post.

That could open the door for backup Geno Smith to grab the reins from Fitzpatrick against the Ravens this Sunday. The 2013 second-round pick has been ineffective throughout his NFL career, though, and that continued Monday. After taking over late in the game, Smith completed 4 of 6 passes for 31 yards and an interception. In 32 games (29 starts), the ex-West Virginia star has tossed 36 picks against 27 touchdowns.

Despite his poor track record, Smith told ESPN’s Lisa Salters before the Jets’ loss to the Cardinals that he was “getting antsy” to play.

Bowles addressed that Tuesday, saying that he doesn’t “have any thoughts on backup players saying anything. They’re backups for a reason. but Bowles liked what he saw Monday. If they get a chance to play, they’d better prove themselves to be worthy of playing regardless of who they are.”

That’s a strong statement, as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com notes, but Bowles did credit Smith for his brief appearance in relief of Fitzpatrick.

“(Smith) did show some promise when he was in there. He understood the game plan. He did good for the drive he was in there (for),” Bowles stated Tuesday (via Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com).

Smith is in a contract year, so another chance to start for the 26-year-old would likely represent make-or-break time for his tenure with the Jets. Otherwise, the team also has two more recent draft picks – 2015 fourth-rounder Bryce Petty and rookie second-rounder Christian Hackenberg – on hand. Bowles revealed Tuesday that going to either of them sometime this season is “definitely possible.”

Having to use any of their reserve signal-callers obviously isn’t what the playoff-hopeful Jets had in mind entering the season. Thanks in part to a career year from Fitzpatrick, Gang Green went 10-6 and narrowly missed out on a wild-card berth last season. After a months-long offseason tug of war over a contract with Fitzpatrick, then a free agent, the Jets brought the journeyman back on a one-year deal worth a fully guaranteed $12MM in July. The 34-year-old now sits toward the bottom of the league in most notable passing categories, including last-place rankings in interceptions (11) and QB rating (63.4).

Although Fitzpatrick’s Jets career is on track to end after the season, he’ll still count $5MM against their salary cap in 2017.

QB Notes: Kaepernick, Romo, Fitzpatrick

October 9th, 2016 at 10:11am CST by Rory Parks

We learned earlier today that Brian Hoyer will remain the starter in Chicago if he continues to play well, regardless of Jay Cutler‘s health. Now let’s take a look at some other teams facing various types of quarterback dilemmas:

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com chimes in on the Colin Kaepernick situation, reporting that the 49ers are indeed mulling a move to pull starting quarterback Blaine Gabbert in favor of Kaepernick. Although head coach Chip Kelly has not yet had conversations with his full staff regarding his quarterback conundrum, he has had informal, exploratory discussions about making a move. There are, of course, several factors that could influence Kelly’s decision, including Kaepernick’s contract situation–a restructured deal would make San Francisco more willing to put No. 7 on the field–and his health. Although Kaepernick is not yet back to his normal playing weight, his arm at least is back to full strength, and he appears more at ease with his teammates then he has in years past. He does not consistently outperform Gabbert in practice, but at this point, a change probably makes sense and could happen soon.
Despite a great deal of discussion to the contrary, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that there is “zero chance” the Cowboys will start Dak Prescott over a healthy Tony Romo. Romo remains on track to return for the team’s Week 8 matchup against Philadelphia, and the Cowboys believe a healthy Romo will help open up the offense. Although Prescott has played well and is viewed as the quarterback of the future, the Cowboys are running a constricted version of the offense for him, allowing him to be something of a game manager (he has attempted just seven passes that have traveled 20 yards or more in the air). So far all the talk that Romo would become Dallas’ answer to Wally Pipp, that does not appear to be the case.
In a separate piece, La Canfora writes that the Jets have seen enough of Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s turnover issues and that Gang Green is prepared to make a change if Fitz does not reverse the trend immediately. La Canfora says that Fitzpatrick is essentially playing for his job against Pittsburgh this week, and with Geno Smith showing some signs of life in practice, the team would not be averse to handing the reins to Smith if Fitzpatrick struggles against the Steelers (the Jets believe that neither Bryce Petty nor Christian Hackenberg is ready to become the next young quarterback to take the league by storm).
Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer believes that, if Robert Griffin III is able to play again this season, the Browns will give him a chance, regardless of how Cody Kessler is performing at that point (unless, of course, Kessler is playing at an Aaron Rodgers level). However, it is unlikely that RGIII will be healthy enough to return this year, so Cleveland will probably not have to make that decision.

Jets To Keep Four QBs

September 3rd, 2016 at 1:05pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Jets are likely to retain all four of their quarterbacks, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link). That means roster spots will go to Ryan Fitzpatrick, Geno Smith, Bryce Petty and rookie Christian Hackenberg.

As the starter, Fitzpatrick was a shoo-in all along. So was Hackenberg, whom the Jets chose in the second round of this year’s draft. Questions surrounded Smith and Petty, though cutting or trading the former would have left the Jets without an experienced backup. Petty, meanwhile, was a fourth-rounder just a year ago, so it’s not surprising that New York is hesitant to move on from him. He did leave the Jets’ preseason finale with a bruised shoulder, but head coach Todd Bowles said afterward that he didn’t suffer any structural damage.

Jets Receiving Trade Interest In Geno Smith?

August 29th, 2016 at 9:15am CST by Zachary Links

Does Geno Smith have trade value? Apparently, there are at least a couple of teams out there with at least a little bit of interest in the Jets quarterback. There is “soft interest around the league in Smith,” according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.

Teams have called the Jets to ask about their surplus players at a few different positions, including quarterback. Those types of calls are very common during this time of year when teams are trimming down from 90 to 75, then from 75 to 53. However, it’s interesting to note that some executives are intrigued by Smith despite his struggles in New York and his awful luck in 2015.

For his part, Smith said this summer that he will not rule out a future with the Jets in 2017 and beyond. The Jets, meanwhile, seem to have other plans at the position. Ryan Fitzpatrick will be the starter this season and the Jets are hoping that rookie Christian Hackenberg will be the go-to guy down the line. That leaves Bryce Petty and Smith to battle over the primary backup spot and some reports have indicated that Petty has looked better than Smith so far this summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC Notes: Harrison, Jets, Revis, Petty, Bills

August 19th, 2016 at 6:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Forget the Olympics or the first presidential debate – could the NFL’s interview with Steelers linebacker James Harrison be the must-watch event of the year? If Harrison has his way, his interview with league investigators over PED claims will be live on TV for all to see.

“If it leads to the hands of that crook, I mean Roger Goodell, he can do whatever he wants,” Harrison said (via Sports Illustrated). “Whatever evidence they might have or reasoning for questioning for me is out of my control, I don’t know. I wouldn’t have a problem with it being filmed live. I’ve been prosecuted and persecuted publicly in the media by them for something I didn’t do, so I don’t see why we couldn’t have the media there and do a live interview.”