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Geno Smith

Top 2017 NFL Free Agents By Position: Offense

February 23rd, 2017 at 9:57pm CST by Zachary Links

[UPDATE: CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST EDITION OF THE TOP 2017 NFL FREE AGENTS BY POSITION]

NFL free agency will get underway on Thursday, March 9th, and while the list of free agents will change between now and then, we do have some idea of who will be available when free agency kicks off. The frenzy is right around the corner and it’s time for us to break down the outlook for each position. We’ll start today on offense, before getting to defense and special teams later this week.

Listed below are our rankings for the top 15 free agents at each offensive position. The rankings aren’t necessarily determined by the value of the contracts that each player is expected to land in free agency, they are simply the players we like the most at each position, with both short- and long-term value taken into account. Restricted and exclusive-rights free agents are not listed here since they are unlikely to actually reach the open market.

We’ll almost certainly be higher or lower on some guys than you are, so we encourage you to make your voice heard in our comments section to let us know which free agents we’ve got wrong.

Here’s our breakdown of the current top 15 free agents by offensive position for 2017:

Quarterback:

  1. Kirk Cousins
  2. Mike Glennon
  3. Nick Foles
  4. Brian Hoyer
  5. Ryan Fitzpatrick
  6. Case Keenum
  7. Matt McGloin
  8. Mark Sanchez
  9. Geno Smith
  10. Ryan Mallett
  11. Josh McCown
  12. Christian Ponder
  13. Blaine Gabbert
  14. Matt Schaub
  15. Ryan Nassib

Honorable mention: Shaun Hill

As of this writing, Kirk Cousins is far and away the best potential free agent quarterback in this year’s crop. By the time March gets here, we’re fully expecting Cousins to be spoken for. Ultimately, the Redskins could franchise tag him, work out a long-term deal with him, or swing some type of trade that nets them a massive haul of talent and picks. That will leave a crop of retread quarterbacks that would probably best serve as transitional options for QB-needy teams. Kirk Cousins

Mike Glennon hasn’t done much in his 18 career starts, but talent evaluators are still in love with his size and potential. The 6’7″ quarterback will get more money this spring than you might expect, particularly since there are no surefire QBs in this year’s draft.

Teams looking for stopgap QBs will find a plethora of experienced, though perhaps uninspiring, signal callers. Nick Foles, Brian Hoyer, and Ryan Fitzpatrick all have their best football behind them, but they could hold down the fort for a team in 2017 and maybe even find some success if the defense is strong enough. Of course, the ideal role for those guys would probably be as a backup to a better, younger quarterback.

Running back:

  1. Le’Veon Bell
  2. Eddie Lacy
  3. LeGarrette Blount
  4. Latavius Murray
  5. Darren McFadden
  6. Jacquizz Rodgers
  7. Rashad Jennings
  8. Danny Woodhead
  9. Rex Burkhead
  10. Tim Hightower
  11. DeAngelo Williams
  12. Andre Ellington
  13. Chris Johnson
  14. Christine Michael
  15. Robert Turbin

Consider Le’Veon Bell‘s name written in Etch-A-Sketch, because he is very unlikely to get near the open market. That could leave Eddie Lacy as the best tailback available in March. Lacy has struggled with weight issues in recent years and he lost much of the 2016 season to injury. Still, he is a bruising back that could nicely complement a quicker ball carrier. Before he was shut down for the year, Lacy was averaging 5.07 yards per carry in five games for Green Bay.

LeGarrette Blount (vertical)In the last two years, LeGarrette Blount seems to have put his off-the-field troubles behind him. Whether that’s a sign of his maturity or a product of the Patriots’ culture remains to be seen. Teams can ignore his past indiscretions, but they will be wary of his age. Blount turns 31 in December.

Latavius Murray has shown glimpses of being a special running back, but he has been inconsistent and his 4.0 yards-per-carry average of the last two years isn’t overly impressive. Darren McFadden ran for more than 1,000 yards in 2015, but 2016 was pretty much a lost year for him. Jacquizz Rodgers seemed to break out last year, but he wound up succumbing to the same injury bug that took down a host of other Buccaneers running backs. Speaking of injuries, Rashad Jennings was initially brought to the Giants to be a workhorse back, but two of his three years in New York were marred by ailments. Everyone in this tier has the potential to make a difference, but none should be counted on as anyone’s main guy in 2017.

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Jets Notes: Quarterbacks, Mangold, Revis

December 3rd, 2016 at 9:01am CST by Ben Levine

Geno Smith hasn’t shown the ability to lead a team during his four years in the league, but you can’t knock the quarterback’s confidence. Talking to Fred Kerber of the New York Post, the 26-year-old said he agrees with his mother when she says the signal-caller’s best is yet to come.

“My mom told me something that was pretty special,” Smith said. “She’d been going to my games since I was a kid and never missed a game. And these past few years, I missed more games than I missed in my life and she said, ‘There’s always a time for that, there’s always a season where you feel like things aren’t going right. And then what comes after that is usually the best part of your life.’”

For what it’s worth, ESPN’s Rich Cimini (via Twitter) wouldn’t rule out Smith sticking around with the Jets in 2017, but he ultimately believes it’s “unlikely.” Smith is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Let’s take a look at some more notes out of the Big Apple…

  • Speaking of quarterbacks, Cimini can’t envision the team cutting bait with Bryce Petty (Twitter link). Furthermore, even considering Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s impending free agency, the writer can’t see the team selecting a quarterback in this year’s draft. Instead, Cimini points to a pair of veteran quarterbacks the Jets could pursue: Mike Glennon and Jay Cutler.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com believes the Jets could cut veteran offensive lineman Nick Mangold this offseason. However, the writer cautions that the team could offer him a “token pay cut” like they did with D’Brickashaw Ferguson.
  • Ralph Vacchiano of SNY writes that it “remains possible” that cornerback Darrelle Revis could return to the Jets next season. Fitzgerald tweets that the Jets are on the hook for $6MM of Revis’ salary, so they might as well get some return on the investment. Earlier this week, the veteran cornerback dismissed reports that he’s ready to retire.

Jets Place Geno Smith On IR

October 26th, 2016 at 7:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

Geno Smith‘s return to the Jets’ starting lineup did not last, and the team made the procedural move to place the former second-round pick on IR, Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk reports.

The fourth-year quarterback tore his ACL against the Ravens and as a result will cede the reins back to Ryan Fitzpatrick, whom he replaced briefly. Although Fitzpatrick had a career year in 2015 that induced the Jets to re-sign him for $12MM, this will mark the second time he’s stepped in for Smith due to injury.

The first, as a result of then-teammate IK Enemkpali‘s sucker punch, changed Smith’s trajectory with the Jets. The second looks like it will end his Gang Green tenure.

Smith’s contract expires after this season, with the Jets having only Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg signed past 2016. The former West Viginia signal-caller started 30 games for the Jets in 2013-14 and ’16, throwing 28 touchdown passes compared to 36 interceptions. Once regarded as a first-round talent, Smith holds a 12-18 career record and has completed 57.9% of his passes.

New York’s quarterback position could be categorized as unstable after Fitzpatrick’s comments regarding the team’s belief in him and the lack of experience of the new Nos. 2-3 passers on the depth chart. But Fitz will start this weekend against the Browns and is once again the Jets’ short-term answer.

Geno Smith Suffers Torn ACL

October 24th, 2016 at 1:37pm CST by Zachary Links

Jets quarterback Geno Smith has suffered a torn ACL, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The injury is, of course, a season-ender.

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After Ryan Fitzpatrick got off to an atrocious start this season, the Jets turned things back over to Smith who has mostly struggled since entering the league. Early on in Sunday’s game, Smith was sacked hard and fell awkwardly, leaving him with a major knee injury. The West Virginia product is slated for free agency this year and has likely played his last down as a member of the Jets.

Last year, Smith lost the majority of the season when a locker room fight with teammate IK Enemkpali left him with a broken jaw. Now, Smith’s season is over after less than one half of action.

It’s not immediately clear what the Jets will do at quarterback for the time being. Fitzpatrick looked capable when he was subbed into the game on Sunday, but the Jets already took the job away from him this month and they have reportedly decided against bringing him back for next season. The Jets may opt to see what they have in the younger Bryce Petty.

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.

Geno Smith

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). Geno Smith (Vertical)

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).

Ryan Fitzpatrick

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.

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