Ryan Fitzpatrick put up the best numbers of his career last season and led the New York Jets to their best record in five years. After months of negotiations, he's finally returning to the Meadowlands.
Jets bring back Ryan Fitzpatrick on 1-year deal
The two sides eventually came together after months of contentious negotiations.
Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
The Jets have inked Fitzpatrick to an one-year, $12 million deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It also reportedly includes another $3 million in incentives that could bump the value of the contract up to $15 million.
Negotiations between the Jets and Fitzpatrick were messy. He stayed unsigned for months, which resulted in Brandon Marshall campaigning for his quarterback to return. Marshall was also absent from OTAs, sparking speculation that he was sitting out to show support for the quarterback. Wide receiver Eric Decker skipped OTAs, too, supposedly out of protest for how the Jets handled negotiations with Fitzpatrick. But now they'll all seek to put that drama behind them.
The Jets signed Fitzpatrick, 33, to a one-year contract last offseason to serve as Geno Smith's backup. But then in training camp, little-known linebacker IK Enemkpali broke Smith's jaw in a locker room altercation. Head coach Todd Bowles named Fitzpatrick the starter in Smith's absence and he quickly gained rave reviews for his leadership abilities. In his first preseason game with the Jets, offensive lineman Willie Colon said it was a "smooth groove" with Fitzpatrick under center.
New York started the season 2-0 and almost knocked off the then-undefeated New England Patriots in Week 7. They dropped three of their next four games before rebounding to win five of their last six. The Jets narrowly missed the playoffs, but still wound up finishing 10-6. Fitzpatrick was in firm control of the quarterback position, even when Smith was eventually activated.
Last season, Fitzpatrick completed 59.6 percent of his passes for 3,905 yards to go along with 31 touchdown passes. He did throw 15 interceptions, but still led a surprisingly strong Jets offense that finished 11th in total points scored. Marshall and Decker combined for a franchise-record 26 touchdown catches.
At this stage in his career, Fitzpatrick's flaws will probably never dissipate. He's turnover prone and barely completes his passes at a 60 percent clip. But he's the best Jets quarterback since Chad Pennington, and the fact that sentence was written says all there is to say about the moribund state of the franchise.
Fitzpatrick isn’t perfect, but he’s likely a massive upgrade over an overmatched Smith and 2015 fourth-round pick Bryce Petty, who didn’t play a single regular-season snap last year. The Jets did draft Christian Hackenberg in April, but he is seen as more of a developmental project at this point. He has plenty of upside thanks to a strong arm and experience in a pro-style offense, but struggled with accuracy in college.
So, after a prolonged contract stalemate, the Jets will keep Fitzpatrick around, hoping the wily vet can help galvanize them to a playoff appearance this time around.
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