It looks like the long, drawn-out soap opera involving Ryan Fitzpatrick and the New York Jets may soon come to an end.
According to Gary Myers of the NY Daily News, the veteran quarterback is prepared to sign a one-year, $12 million deal with the team.
“The Daily News has learned Fitzpatrick is prepared to end his contract stalemate by letting the Jets know he will take a one-year deal for $12 million guaranteed,” the report indicated. “It’s the same money with the same guarantee the Jets are offering in the first year of their frontloaded three-year $24 million proposal that has backup money in the second and third year.”
As Myers notes, this would give Fitzpatrick the $12 million guaranteed the Jets offered him on a three-year deal during the spring.
This makes a ton of sense for the veteran signal caller. If he’s able to produce at the same clip we saw last season, the 33 year-old Fitzpatrick will then be able to hit the free-agent market next March with two tremendous seasons under his belt.
Fitzpatrick put up a career-best performance in 2015, tallying 3,905 yards with 31 touchdowns and 15 interceptions en route to leading the Jets to a surprising 10-win campaign.
If the Jets are willing to meet Fitzpatrick halfway here, it would end any talk of Geno Smith being forced to be the team’s starting quarterback next season.
It will also give the squad the viable starter that it needs in order to compete with the New England Patriots in the AFC East.
This is some rather big news considering previous reports indicated that the stalemate between New York and Fitzpatrick was only worsening as the process played out.