It appears the New York Jets and Ryan Fitzpatrick have finally settled a saga that was beginning to rival Deflategate in the NFL’s annals of tedium.
The Jets and their starting quarterback have been at loggerheads over a new deal but on Wednesday night the two parties agreed a one-year contract worth $12m with an additional $3m possible for Fitzpatrick in bonuses.
“It definitely was a long process,” Fitzpatrick told ESPN. “After coming to the realization that it wasn’t going to get done right away and that it was going to take some time, I tried my best to put it out of my mind and tried to live life normally. But it was hard with people coming up to me and asking about the contract, people texting me. It was hovering, looming over my head for five, six months. In the end, I’m happy the way it turned out.”
Fitzpatrick had the the best season of his career last year, throwing a franchise record 31 touchdowns and almost leading the Jets to the playoffs. The Jets offered him a three-year deal worth up to $24m, including $16m guaranteed, but Fitzpatrick thought he was worth more. The Jets, on the other hand, were unwilling to pay too much for a quarterback who can still be erratic and was helped out by two excellent wide receivers in Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker.
The tension at the Jets was clear earlier on Wednesday when players were told not to talk to the media about Fitzpatrick. “All questions about Ryan are for coach [Todd] Bowles,” running back Matt Forte said. “They told me to tell you all that. Everybody knows who ‘they’ are.”
ESPN reported that Fitzpatrick was given until 7pm on Wednesday to sign the contract or the team would move on, with Geno Smith, Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty all waiting in the wings to compete for the starter’s job.
“[Wednesday] was one of the more stressful days, with everything coming to a head,” said Fitzpatrick. “I didn’t want to miss any camp time. That was really important to me. I really wanted to be at the first meeting. It went down to the wire, but I was happy to be in there.”
Marshall, who enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career in tandem with Fitzpatrick, has been vocal in his support of Fitzpatrick and appeared to express his happiness with the agreement on Wednesday night.
Well deserved and great move by @nyjets
— Due Season.. . (@BMarshall) July 28, 2016
Congrats bro.. Now go win some dang games.. #newyork #fitzmagic pic.twitter.com/K08pREpKMw
The Jets are Fitzpatrick’s sixth NFL team during an 11 season career. He has a record of 43-61-1 during that time.
