Ryan Fitzpatrick

Jets Not Planning QB Change Right Now

October 3rd, 2016 at 10:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Jets head coach Todd Bowles told reporters that he doesn’t “foresee any changes right now” at the quarterback position, meaning that Ryan Fitzpatrick will continue to start, according to Kimberley A. Martin of Newday (Twitter link).

Save for a solid performance in the New York’s only win (Week 2 against the Bills), Fizpatrick has played extremely poorly throughout the 2016 campaign. At the risk of piling on, Fitzpatrick ranks 31st in completion percentage, 32nd in QB rating, 30th in DVOA, 32nd in DYAR, and — unsurprisingly — 1st in interceptions. His 10 picks are tied for the eighth-most through four games since the merger in 1970, and no signal-caller has thrown as many interceptions through a quarter of the season since Daunte Culpepper in 2005.

Having said that, the Jets don’t have a plethora of other options to turn to, especially given that they’ve committed $12MM for one year of Fitzpatrick. Geno Smith has never shown the ability to be an above-average starter, while second-round pick Christian Hackenberg clearly isn’t ready to start. Bryce Petty, meanwhile, is still on the roster as New York carries four quarterbacks, but it’s not clear if he’s recovered from a preseason shoulder injury.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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.

AFC East Notes: Jets, Fitz, Pats, Cooper, Fins

July 28th, 2016 at 5:23pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s new deal with the Jets is actually a two-year accord, not a one-year pact, reports Albert Breer of TheMMQB (Twitter links). However, the second year is voidable and in place solely for cap purposes, Breer notes. Instead of a $12MM hit for 2016, Fitzpatrick will occupy $7MM in cap space this year and $5MM in 2017. Most of the $12MM coming to him is via signing bonus ($10MM), while the rest ($2MM) is Fitzpatrick’s base salary. The 33-year-old’s contract also includes a total of $3MM in incentives tied to playing time and team success – namely a playoff berth, AFC title game bid and Super Bowl trip – per Breer.

More on New York and two of its division rivals:

Fitzpatrick opted to take a one-year deal from the Jets instead of their three-year offer because he didn’t want to risk the team relegating him to a reserve role during the tail end of the contract, he said Thursday (via Connor Hughes of NJ Advance Media). “That was a deal that basically said, ‘We want you here, and then we want you to say here as the backup,'” Fitzpatrick stated. “That’s not how I view myself. I’d much rather pass up on some of that guaranteed money and just sign a one-year deal and bet on myself and see what happens.” New York has three younger options on its roster in Geno Smith, Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty, all of whom were second- to fourth-round picks between 2013 and this year. Given that Smith has struggled in the league and is set to become a free agent after the season, he wouldn’t have been a threat to Fitzpatrick had he inked a multiyear deal. The same might not have been true regarding Hackenberg or Petty, though. A second-round pick this year, Hackenberg seems like the best bet on the Jets’ roster to take over as their starter next season if Fitzpatrick is no longer on the team.
The Patriots have a decision to make on guard Jonathan Cooper by Friday, when his $1,713,954 roster bonus is due, tweets Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. Cooper, who came to New England from Arizona in the teams’ March trade centering on Chandler Jones, has disappointed since going seventh overall in the 2013 draft. After a broken fibula cost Cooper his rookie season, he went on to start just 11 games for the Cardinals over the past two years. The 26-year-old is currently New England’s projected starter at right guard, as Roster Resource indicates.
The Dolphins are “pretty comfortable” with their current cornerback situation, a source told Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. However, that shouldn’t necessarily be the case, opines Salguero, who wonders if the Dolphins are in trouble at the position. With second-round rookie Xavien Howard currently on the sidelines after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in June, the Dolphins are down to Tony Lippett as the starter opposite veteran Byron Maxwell. Lippett didn’t garner much playing time as a fifth-round rookie last year, though, and was a receiver at Michigan State. As for Howard, the Dolphins “expect him, at worst, to be back by the first regular-season game,” head coach Adam Gase said. But that scenario would mean missing all of camp and the preseason, thus putting the first-year man behind the 8-ball immediately.
Armando Salguero shared more of his thoughts on the state of the Dolphins earlier Thursday with PFR’s Zach Links.

Reactions To Ryan Fitzpatrick’s Deal

July 28th, 2016 at 12:00pm CST by Zachary Links

On Wednesday night, the Jets and Ryan Fitzpatrick finally ended their offseason saga when the two sides agreed to a one-year, $12MM deal. When the two sides shook hands, Jets fans weren’t the only ones to breathe a sign of relief.

“Oh my gosh… it’s been a long six months for sure,” Fitzpatrick told Manish Mehta of the Daily News. “The biggest feeling was relief. Just relief to have it over and done with. And then when I was driving in (Wednesday night to the team facility) and walking up to the team meeting, it was like the first day of school. I was just all excited to see everybody and to be back in the building. Because through the entire offseason program, I wasn’t allowed to be there. It was such a weird feeling. I was ten minutes away just sitting at home getting calls and texts every day. After every practice, talking with the guys and not being allowed in the building to participate and compete with them. That made it an awfully long offseason for me. Now I’m ready to get to work.”

Here’s a look at some of the reactions to Fitzpatrick’s deal with Gang Green:

The Jets gave Fitzpatrick a 7pm ET deadline because their camp-opening meeting was at that time and they wanted his situation to be resolved by then, Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets.
Fitzpatrick, 34 in November, tells Mehta that his best is yet to come. “I’m getting better as a quarterback,” Fitzpatrick said. “A lot of that is an understanding of the game, of myself, of who I’m playing against. So I think there’s been a nice upward trend in my career of getting better as I get older…. This is the fifth year that I’m going into the year as a starter. So it’s not like I’ve had a 12-year career where every year I’ve been the starter. There have been a lot of times when I’ve been the backup. So there’s been a lot of growth in my career. I’m just excited for the opportunity this year, but I think I’m going to continue to get better.”
The Jets made the right move by ending the madness and getting a deal done, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com opines. Both sides got what they needed, though Cimini would give a slight edge to Fitzpatrick for coming away with $12MM on a one-year deal and possibly up to $15MM via incentives. Re-signing Fitzpatrick didn’t come cheap, but the Jets ultimately did not want to roll into the season with Geno Smith as their starter.
Brian Costello of the New York Post wonders what Fitzpatrick’s deal means for Smith. Smith, at best, is now relegated to being the Jets’ No. 2 QB. However, the Jets also have Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg under contract and it could theoretically be Smith that gets bumped from the roster.
The Jets and Fitzpatrick could have agreed to this same contract in April, but both sides were too stubborn to bend, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap writes.
Above all else, Fitzpatrick says that he did not want to miss any part of training camp, as Kimberley A. Martin of Newsday writes.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jets, Ryan Fitzpatrick Agree To Deal

July 27th, 2016 at 9:08pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Jets and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick have finally ended their months-long contract standoff, agreeing Wednesday to a one-year, fully guaranteed pact worth $12MM, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link). Fitzpatrick can make an extra $3MM in incentives and rake in $15MM total, though the Jets would have to win the Super Bowl for him to earn that money, tweets Albert Breer of TheMMQB.

The news of the Jets and Fitzpatrick reaching a deal comes as little surprise after Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported earlier Wednesday that negotiations were “heating up” on the eve of the Jets starting training camp practice. However, the Jets previously didn’t want to give Fitzpatrick a one-year contract, notes ESPN’s Rich Cimini, who adds that the sizable extension awarded to defensive tackle Muhammad Wilkerson earlier this month opened up enough cap room ($5.7MM) for New York to re-sign the signal-caller. The Jets significantly increased their offer from $8MM to $12MM on Wednesday and informed Fitzpatrick to either take it by 7 p.m. ET or they’d move on, reports Schefter (Twitter link via Cimini).

Fitzpatrick, 33, and the Jets had fought since March over the 11-year veteran’s worth. After Fitzpatrick posted career-high totals in touchdowns (31) and yards (3,905) last season for a 10-win Jets team that narrowly missed the playoffs, he reportedly sought a multiyear accord worth between $12MM and $16MM in annual value. The Jets had other ideas in regards to average salary, however, having presented him a three-year, $24MM offer that featured $15MM in guarantees. New York also played with the idea of offering Fitzpatrick the chance to opt out after the first of three years, but he rejected that, per Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). While Fitzpatrick will haul in $3MM less in total guarantees with his new deal, the fact that it’s only over one year will give him a chance to cash in again in the future.

Although negotiations between the Jets and Fitzpatrick didn’t go as smoothly as either hoped, the fact that he’ll remain a member of Gang Green seems like a win for both sides. Barring injury, Fitzpatrick wouldn’t have found another starting job on the open market this summer, and the Jets couldn’t have gone into the season expecting to break their five-year playoff drought with Geno Smith under center. Smith has been a disappointment since New York used a second-round pick on him in the 2013 draft, while fellow Jets passers Christian Hackenberg (a second-round rookie) and Bryce Petty (a fourth-rounder in 2015) have combined for zero NFL snaps.

With a strong defense, an excellent receiving tandem (Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker) and an accomplished veteran running back (Matt Forte) in place, the Fitzpatrick-led Jets should have a chance to push for a postseason berth this year. And, with Patriots quarterback Tom Brady set to miss a quarter of the season because of a suspension, New York undoubtedly has its eyes on an AFC East title. Whether that’s realistic is highly debatable, but the Jets seem to stand a greater chance of accomplishing it now that Fitzpatrick is back in the driver’s seat.

Photo corutesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jets, Ryan Fitzpatrick In Talks

July 27th, 2016 at 5:59pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

While quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick remains unsigned and therefore was not among those to report to the start of Jets training camp Wednesday, he might not be away from the team for much longer. Negotiations are currently taking place between the Jets and Fitzpatrick, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, and he tweets that the talks between the sides “are heating up.” Rapoport reported earlier Wednesday that the Jets would make a major run at signing Fitzpatrick before camp practices begin Thursday.

Fitzpatrick and the Jets have been at odds since March over the club’s three-year, $24MM offer that features $15MM in guarantees, though Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reported Monday that the club has presented at least one other option to the 33-year-old. Fitzpatrick – whom the Jets acquired from the Texans for a mere late-round pick last offseason – is looking to cash in on the heels of a career campaign, but neither the Jets nor the rest of the NFL have played ball so far. And given that league’s 31 other teams seems to have their starting quarterback situations figured out, it appears Fitzpatrick and the Jets need each other. The Harvard product helped the Jets to a surprising 10-6 finish and a narrow playoff miss in 2015. Along the way, the career journeyman totaled personal highs in touchdowns (31) and yards (3,905).

Fitzpatrick is easily more accomplished than de facto starter Geno Smith and the Jets’ other quarterbacks, second-round rookie Christian Hackenberg and second-year man Bryce Petty, and would likely give the club its best chance to snap a five-year playoff drought. Judging by their sudden urgency to negotiate as camp is set to begin in earnest, the Jets agree.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jets Notes: Fitzpatrick, Lee, Bohanon

July 27th, 2016 at 10:30am CST by Zachary Links

For the first time in months, we have a bit of positive news on the talks between the Jets and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Some people who know the quarterback well believe his standoff with the Jets will end sooner rather than later, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. That’s a sharp deviation from the reports we’ve heard in recent weeks, which basically have indicated that there has been little discussion between the Harvard product and Gang Green.

While we wait to see how things shake out with the Jets and their 2015 MVP, here’s more out of East Rutherford:

There is still no deal on the horizon for No. 20 overall pick Darron Lee and the Jets, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Last year, picks 1-19 got fully guaranteed deals and Lee is looking to extend that to his slot. Right now, it is believed that the Jets are only willing to give Lee a partial guarantee on the fourth year of his deal. Lee is one of just three first round picks without a contract at this time.
Darryl Slater of NJ.com sees the Jets using a fullback this year and keeping Tommy Bohanon on the 53-man roster. If the Jets keep Bilal Powell, Matt Forte, Robinson, and Bohanon at RB, that leaves Zac Stacy and others on the outside looking in. For a full rundown of the Jets’ depth chart, check out their page on Roster Resource. It should be noted that Slater’s projection was published before the team’s addition of Bernard Pierce and that signing could affect the makeup of the RB group.
Steve Serby of the New York Post wonders if the burden on the Jets is greater than the pressure that must be on Fitzpatrick’s shoulders at this time.

AFC East Notes: Jets, Fitz, Jordan, Cromartie

July 26th, 2016 at 5:19pm CST by Zachary Links

It sounds like we shouldn’t expect much to change between the Jets and Ryan Fitzpatrick this week. As training camp approaches, it doesn’t appear that the two sides are any closer to a deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Fitzpatrick has touched base with teammate Brandon Marshall after multiple weeks without contact, but it’s not clear when or if the two will be reunited on the field.

Here’s more from the AFC East:

If the NFL doesn’t reinstate Dolphins defensive end Dion Jordan before his roster bonus due on the fifth day of camp, his representatives will file a grievance, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. Jordan’s camp will also push back if the Dolphins move to wipe out the $1.69MM payout (Twitter link). Jordan applied for reinstatement almost two months ago, but has yet to hear back from the NFL. Some execs in Miami’s front office do not want to give Jordan that kind of money following his third drug suspension.
Although Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) hears that Antonio Cromartie‘s hip issues could end his career, the former Jets cornerback denies that he’s ready to hang up his cleats. “Hell, no. I’m not done,” Cromartie told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). “My hip wasn’t the problem last year.” Cromartie was highly ineffective in 15 starts for Gang Green last season, but he did earn an honorable mention on PFR’s list of the best available defensive free agents.
Running backs LeGarrette Blount and James White could be on the roster bubble when the Patriots break camp in a few weeks, writes Doug Kyed of NESN.com. Blount has acted as New England’s power back for the past several years, and scored six touchdowns in that role last season, while White has been a valuable asset as a pass-catcher. But as Roster Resource shows, the Pats are well-stocked in their backfield, with Dion Lewis, Donald Brown, Brandon Bolden, and Tyler Gaffney among the club’s other options. Lewis, recovering from a torn ACL, could begin the year on the PUP list, which could open up a spot for another runner.

Jets Notes: Fitzpatrick, Bowles, Hester

July 26th, 2016 at 12:30pm CST by Zachary Links

In his first season as the Jets’ head coach, Todd Bowles didn’t attend offensive meetings and didn’t have sit-downs with Ryan Fitzpatrick until later in the season. Even though the Jets’ quarterback situation is up in the air for 2016, the defensive-minded coach tells ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini that he doesn’t plan on changing his approach with signal callers.

“I know what’s going on and I trust [offensive coordinator Chan Gailey] completely. I know the plays we run and I know what everybody is supposed to do, right or wrong. I understand busted assignments and things like that,” Bowles explained. “I’m up to speed because I’ve been in the offense a year as well. I’m still a defensive guy, but I have an overall game mentality. When you get experience like I did the first year, you get a better feel for situations before they come up.”

Here’s today’s look at Gang Green, including more on the team’s quarterback situation:

Recently, Jets receiver Brandon Marshall said that he had not heard from Fitzpatrick in weeks. Last night, however, Marshall posed for a picture with Fitzpatrick and his sons and posted it on Instagram. This doesn’t tell us much about the state of talks between Fitzpatrick and the Jets, but it does mean that the QB is back in contact with one of his best friends on the team.
Should the Jets sign return man Devin Hester? Hester, who was released by Atlanta on Tuesday morning, could be a fit since the Jets are in the market for someone to return both kickoffs and punts, NJ.com’s Darryl Slater opines. Right now, the Jets are looking at wide receivers Jeremy Ross and Jalin Marshall (an undrafted rookie) as potential options.
The Jets need to sign Fitzpatrick, but their offer sheet must come with an expiration date, Cimini writes.
Dexter McDougle, a 2014 third-round pick of the Jets, is on the roster bubble, Cimini writes. For a complete look at the players competing for work in the Jets’ secondary, check out their depth chart on Roster Resource.
The Jets have yet to sign first-round pick Darron Lee and the two sides are reportedly butting heads over the linebacker’s fourth-year guarantee.

Latest On Jets, Ryan Fitzpatrick

July 25th, 2016 at 10:30am CST by Zachary Links

With training camp right around the corner, the Jets have gone to great lengths to re-sign Ryan Fitzpatrick. Or, at least, they’re working hard to push that perception through the media. The Jets have given Fitzpatrick multiple contract offers to choose from, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News hears.

In addition to the widely-reported three-year, $24MM offer, the Jets have presented at least one other option to the quarterback, according to Mehta. The terms of that second offer are not immediately clear. It’s possible that Gang Green has also offered Fitzpatrick a one-year pact which would allow him to bet on himself and potentially cash in next spring if he can offer up a repeat of his 2015 effort. Of course, even if the Harvard product can turn in another strong campaign, his earning potential could be limited as he enters his age-35 season. Fitzpatrick, who turns 34 in November, sees this as his best and maybe last opportunity to really cash in.

After the Jets acquired Fitzpatrick from the Texans last year for a mere late-round pick, he went on to have his best season for a 10-6 club that narrowly missed the playoffs. The career journeyman unexpectedly totaled personal highs in touchdowns (31) and yards (3,905) and he wants his next contract to reflect his achievements.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Load More Posts