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It’s pretty obvious he’s not going anywhere, but the landing spot on the contract is a quandary. It could take some time to figure out . . .
Ryan Fitzpatrick isn’t going anywhere.
He knows the Jets are the best spot for him.
And the Jets know they aren’t going to do better than him at quarterback in 2016.
It’s a win-win.
He knows that. They know that.
“We like Ryan,” said Mike Maccagnan. “I think we have a good situation for Ryan. We just have to come to an agreement on cost. That’s still yet to be determined.”
The landing spot is tough. He’s had one true standout season.
Those are the toughest contracts to negotiate.
Washington is far apart with Kirk Cousin.
Tyrod Taylor is another tough deal in Buffalo.
One year isn’t a legitimate pattern where you can discern who is a guy truly is.
When it comes Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, Phillip Rivers contracts – you give them the $20 million a so a year number that is the benchmark for franchise quarterbacks.
You just do it.
No questions asked. Those guys had several years of excellence strung together.
Fitzpatrick doesn’t fall into that category.
His last contract was a two-year deal for $7.25 million signed in Houston in 2014.
The Jets picked up the second year of that deal after the 2015 trade, and paid him $3.25 million.
Obviously he’s going to make more than that, but how much?
I’ve said repeatedly, the deal should be basically duplicate the Nick Foles’ contract in St. Louis.
Last year, Foles, after being acquired in a trade from Philadelphia, signed a 2-year, $24,540,000 contract. including a $3,000,000 signing bonus, $13,792,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $12,270,000.
Look, I understand Foles ended up getting benched during the season, but the numbers should be in this ballpark.
Like Fitzpatrick, Foles was a one-year wonder in Philadelphia.
I’m not saying Fitzpatrick will turn into a one-year wonder. I’m just saying that is what he is now.
And the Jets need to play hard ball.
They can’t negotiate contracts like that did last off-season, especially the first one out of the gate.
If Fitz’s agent gets delusions of grandeur, he needs to be reminded of the three costly picks against Buffalo in week 17, or the two in Houston.
The agent needs to be reminded of Fitz’s 59.6 completion percentage last year. The top QB’s are consistently around 65 percent.
Remember, this stuff isn’t being said to Fitz, but his agent.
The Jets can’t be wimps, like they were with that first contract out of the gate last spring.
Fitzpatrick should be rewarded but he should not be greedy.
He’s a good quarterback, but he has his limitation. He doesn’t have a rocket arm and he gets too many passes tipped at the line.
Don’t get me wrong, I like the player, and I think he should be the Jets starter at least the next two seasons.
But the contract needs to be like the Foles’ deal.
There isn’t a pattern of high-level play established.
February 25, 2015
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