I don’t agree with the premise Ryan Fitzpatrick “doesn’t have a leg to stand on” in his contract battle with the Jets.
He might not be an elite QB, but the Jets need him in 2016; he’s their best option right now.
Fitzpatrick has his warts, but also had the best QB season for the Jets in a really long time in 2015, and helped lead them to a 10-6 record.
So he has “a leg to stand on.”
Does he have a $15 million-a-year leg to stand on? No, but he has more than a $8 million-a-year leg to stand on.
I’ve always been of the opinion that NFL quarterbacks in their 30’s, if they are healthy, can often do their best work. They have seen and experienced so much, and are high on the growth curve, at perhaps the most difficult job in sports.
So Fitzpatrick does have some leverage, because anybody else the Jets turn to now, whether it’s in-house, on the street or via trade, is probably a downgrade.
I’m not putting Fitzpatrick in Canton, but I think there is some leverage here.
Perhaps not $15 million-a-year leverage, but maybe $10-11 million-a-year leverage.
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