Ryan Fitzpatrick has an implied mandate to lead the Jets into the playoffs to justify the nearly 400% raise to the $12 million the Jets gave him for the 2016 season.
Fitzpatrick spoke Thursday about how comfortable he is betting on himself
by insisting on a one-year contract rather than accepting an extra $3
million guaranteed in the three-year, $24 million deal the Jets were
pushing on him for months. He stopped just short of calling the proposal
insulting, but said it was nothing he would ever accept.
Either way, by climbing all the way up to $12 million, the expectations
have changed. Last season, Fitz was a nice story, a journeyman having a
career year. He was a bargain at $3.25 million. Even though he is still
about $4 million under market value, he is making elite money. The Jets
have made a considerable one-year financial commitment to him. That
comes with a lot of responsibility.
“I feel like I’m just continuing to get better and better as a football
player,” he said. “Hopefully, I will continue to get better.”
During the four-month stalemate, the Jets were offering $12 million in
the first year but only $6 million in each of the last two years when
they expect him to be a backup. Right then, Fitz knew he had to push for
a one-year contract and try again next year to get a big-money
long-term deal.
“How could I look myself in the mirror every morning and say, ‘I’ll try
to play good this year and next year I’ll just collect some checks and
teach the young guys?’” he said Thursday after practice. “It’s not who I
am. It’s not in my nature. 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.”
He’s made enough in his career that he can gamble the $3 million that
he will have a good season and either the Jets or another team will
offer him more than backup money.
Even so, it’s hard to blame GM Mike Maccagnan for not wanting to invest
big money in Fitz past this year after drafting Christian Hackenberg in
the second round in April and, just as important, with Fitzpatrick’s
track record never making the playoffs with any of his six teams in his
first 11 seasons.
Todd Bowles immediately named Fitzpatrick the starter for the Sept. 11
season opener — unless, of course, some teammate gets ticked off at Fitz
this summer and breaks his jaw in the locker room, as ridiculous as
that sounds. The Jets view Geno Smith’s ceiling to be a backup.
The pressure is on Fitz to have a big year to get one more big
contract. It’s also the pressure to repay Brandon Marshall and Eric
Decker for speaking up for him during the offseason.
“The way those guys had my back and the loyalty and faith they showed in me was awesome,” Fitz said.
Fitzpatrick is looking like the Wolfman as he makes his training camp debut.
(Julio Cortez/AP)
Marshall’s message to Fitzpatrick after signing for $12 million? “You better throw some touchdowns,” he said laughing.
The Jets have a brutal first six games — they face five playoff teams
and the Bills, who beat them twice last year. Even though the Patriots
are without Tom Brady for the first four weeks, it’s still going to be
difficult for the Jets to create any separation between them and New
England.
They need Fitz to play at an elite level all season if they are going
to survive the schedule and get into the playoffs for the first time
since 2010.
But what version of Fitz is showing up this season? He has never put
together two solid seasons in a row. In fact, last season was the first
time that he finished with a winning record as a starter. He was 6-10 in
the only other two seasons in which he started every game. His second
best season winning percentage-wise was 4-4 in 2009.
Will he be the new Fitz who set a franchise record with 31 TDs last
season? Or the old Fitz who threw three interceptions in the fourth
quarter in the final game in Buffalo that cost the Jets the playoffs?
The focus was on Fitz in the Buffalo game and he spit up all over
himself. He acknowledged that game impacted contract negotiations.
Clearly, the Jets were scared to spend big money on him past 2016
fearing he will revert to being a sloppy, mistake-prone quarterback.
“As amazing as it sounds, I’m the same player the last five weeks as I
was that last week. I’m the same guy,” he said. “It might have made
things easier if we won that game, went to the playoffs and won a
playoff game. I think everybody understands that. That quarter of
football didn’t make things easier, for sure.”
The Jets were energized to have Fitz back for the first practice of the
summer after he missed the entire offseason. Fitz threw a couple of
interceptions and had a nice long touchdown to Marshall and actually
looked pretty good for a guy who hasn’t been on the field in seven
months.
Fitz is the team leader and they missed having him around. He showed up
with lots of hair and brought back the thick bushy beard that he had
trimmed late last season. After realizing the Jets had deactivated his
code to get into the building when he showed up Wednesday night, he
texted Marshall for his and walked into the team meeting one minute late
Wednesday night.
Bowles told him the fine was $12 million. Everybody had a good laugh at
the expense of the Harvard guy. Now they need him to be a $12 million
quarterback. That’s 400% harder than being a $3 million quarterback.
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