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Florham Park – Ryan Fitzpatrick was very candid about how he felt about “The Offer.” And you know, when you really think about it, he has a valid point.
Look, I’m not suggesting anybody hold a fundraiser for a guy who just signed a one-year, $12 million contract.
That is pretty good coin.
But Fitzpatrick made it clear over and over today, in his calm delivery, that the three-year deal the Jets were offering for months was insulting.
And he’s probably right.
I tweeted last week, “Ryan Fitzpatrick will never play for the three-year, $24 million contract offer.”
And he confirmed that over and over today.
That tweet wasn’t rocket science on my part.
It was an insulting offer. And Fitzpatrick said as much today.
The offer was worth $12 million in the first year, and then was essentially a two-year deal for $12 million with just three million guaranteed in the final two seasons.
It was almost like they were saying, “We think he are going to be average this year, and probably turn into a backup/mentor in 2017 and 18.”
Let’s be honest, the way the contract was structured was a slap in the face.
“How could I look myself in the mirror and say: Yeah, I’ll try to play good this year and then next year I’ll collect some checks and teach the young guys,” Fitzpatrick said today. “That’s not who I am. It’s not my nature.”
Mike Maccagnan will never explain to us what he was thinking with that odd offer. He doesn’t like to talk about contracts publicly.
But that offer clearly pissed off Fitzpatrick and it has for months.
So Fitzpatrick eventually said, the heck with this, and he and Jimmy Sexton really focused on getting a one-year deal done.
And they were able to get that done yesterday.
“I’m doing well financially, so [playing on a one-year deal] is a risk I’m willing to take,” Fitzpatrick said.
As you know, today was the first practice of Jets training camp. And for a guy who had no off-season work with the team, Fitzpatrick looked pretty darn good. Did he have some bad plays? No question, like when he was picked off by linebacker Jordan Jenkins.
But the magic he developed last year with Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker was on display as well.
I know there was a lot of focus on his terrific deep pass to Brandon Marshall, but his work with Decker was just as impressive.
Decker loves playing with Fitzpatrick, and watching today’s practice, you can see why.
Fitzpatrick and Decker have really good chemistry on timing routes. Fitzpatrick and Decker connected on a couple of plays today where the ball was launched before Decker even got out of his break.
And this is the big difference between Fitzpatrick and Geno Smith.
Like a lot of young quarterbacks, Smith wants to see a receiver flash open, and then he will throw. The veteran Fitzpatrick is willing to “throw guys open” and also throw timing routes as guys come out of breaks trusting they will be where they are supposed to be.
I know it was just one practice, but it was one practice after no off-season work.
I think the troika of Fitzpatrick-Marshall-Decker are going to have another outstanding year.
And Fitzpatrick is going to be highly-motivated to proof the Jets wrong for offering such a lousy three-year contract.
I guess that is a good thing in a way. Nothing wrong with motivation.
July 28, 2016
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