Fitzpatrick Camp Using Geno Smith as Leverage?

[JetNation]

By Glenn Naughton

 

So now it’s being reported that the New York Jets have offered free agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick a 3-year contract with a year-one value of $12 million.  The initial report came from Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post, before Ian Rapoport of the NFL network not only confirmed the offer, but reported that it has been on the table since March.

A shocking development as previous stories had the team’s offer as low as $7.5 million with some believing even that was too much given the lack of a market for Fitzpatrick as other teams have already settled their starting QB situations through the draft of free agency.

Ryan Fitzpatrick has reportedly spurned an offer that would pay him $12 million this season.

We repeatedly heard the word “leverage” in regards to the contract talks and how Fitzpatrick lacks any.  With no other offers on the table, the Jets supposedly held all the cards and could wait Fitzpatrick out, forcing him to take a low-ball offer.  Now, it seems Fitzpatrick and agents are using the only leverage they have…Geno Smith.

If the Jets were to walk away from Fitzpatrick, Smith becomes the de facto starter, and his performance through his first three NFL seasons suggest that would be a bad spot for the Jets to be in, and clearly that’s what Fitzpatrick and company were counting on.

Two seasons in a row, Smith was voted the NFL’s worst starting quarterback, not by fans watching from their couches, but by NFL coaches and insiders in a poll conducted by ESPN.  After learning he was viewed as the worst signal caller in the league, Smith said he thought it was “hilarious”.  Right about now, Fitzpatrick’s representatives probably feel the same way.

While Smith’s time with the Jets has been hampered by a lack of weapons and a dysfunctional coaching situation in Rex Ryan’s final season, there’s no disputing the results he has posted, which in some cases, have been so bad that it’s impossible to ignore.

Even with the lack of experience and talent Smith had to work with as a rookie, he once had four consecutive contests in which he failed to complete 10 passes.  Yes, you read that right.  In four NFL football games, in 2014, a quarterback failed to complete just 10 passes in four consecutive games.  A stretch that saw the Jets go 1-3 with their lone touchdown pass during that time, come on a 13-yard strike from Matt Simms to Jeff Cumberland against the Buffalo Bills.  In all, Smith went without a touchdown pass in those four games while throwing six interceptions.

It seems almost impossible given the number of rule changes on defense in recent years to increase pass production, yet Smith pulled  it

Despite returning from injury in week 3, Jets Head Coach Todd Bowles kept Smith on the bench for the season’s final 14 games.

off, becoming  just the third quarterback in franchise history to achieve such a dubious feat. He joined Bob Davis who did it in 1971, and Richard Todd in 1976.  In fairness to Davis and Todd, Smith is the only one of the three quarterbacks to attempt at least 10 passes in those games.

It’s not as if that four game stretch was a bump in the road either.  There have been numerous largely forgettable moments for Smith.

Despite having played in just 31 career games (29 starts), Smith has managed a staggering 43 turnovers while producing just 34 scores (27 passing, 7 rushing), another number the Jets brass is keenly aware of.

In those 31 games, Smith has led the Jets offense to fewer than 21 points on 19 occasions, or 61% of the time.  Don’t think for one second that Ryan Fitzpatrick’s agents don’t know that Gang Green posted 21 points or more in 10 of the 15 games that Fitzpatrick played from wire to wire last season, a 66% clip.

If the Jets defense can be the dominant unit many expect it to be, any game that sees them post 21 points should give them every chance to come away with a win.

Having missed most of the Jets match-up against the Oakland Raiders last season, Fitzpatrick played just 15 full games.  In those fifteen games, he threw 3 or more touchdowns three times, or one more time than Smith has manged to in 29 pro starts.  Even in looking for games in which each quarterback threw for more than 1 touchdown, a relatively modest feat in today’s NFL, Fitzpatrick pulled that off 12 times  in his fifteen starts last season.  Smith has thrown 2 or more touchdown passes just six times in his 31 appearances.

Despite the fact that Smith is the more physically gifted of the two, his lack of production up to this point doesn’t represent just Fitzpatrick vs. Geno to the Jets front office, but “hope vs expectations”.

In Smith, Fitzpatrick’s camp knows the Jets have so little on-field production to go on, that the number one thing the front office can hang their collective hat on his hope.

With better on-field production, the Jets might be willing to go with Geno Smith. As it stands, they’re determined to re-sign Fitzpatrick.

They can hope he’s matured enough to the point that they can move on and forget about last season’s ugly incident with teammate IK Enemkpali that saw Smith get his jaw broken over a disagreement regarding a $600 loan.

They can hope that he has the support of his teammates, an unlikely hope at this point with two of his key receivers opting not to attend OTA’s.  Of course anyone who is asked will support Smith publicly, but what player comes out and tells the media he has no faith in his quarterback?

In each of his first two pro seasons, the Jets saw Smith show what they believed to be signs of growth as he combined for 10 touchdowns and 4 interceptions in each of the two season’s final four games.  They can only hope…really hope, that the 15 TD’s to 30 interceptions he threw in the weeks preceding those performances were just a fluke.

They can hope that opponents will no longer be “bummed out” when Smith exits a game, as they said they were when he threw 3 interceptions against the Buffalo Bills on just 8 pass attempts two seasons ago when he was “staring down his receivers” according to Bills players.

Hard to argue with that based on the results, and this was in NFL game number 24 for Smith.  Some will undoubtedly point to Smith’s lack of options on offense which sadly has nothing to do with scanning the field and looking off a defender before letting it fly.  One more thing the Jets can hope he’s no longer doing.

In Fitzpatrick, it’s fair to say the Jets shouldn’t expect to make the post-season, but that is of course, a team accomplishment, albeit one that is impacted by the quarterback more than any other player.  As far as individual achievements go, he’s a much better option than Smith, and his asking price shows it.

Not thrilled about his contract situation, Fitzpatrick’s stability is keeping the Jets at the negotiating table.

With the track record Fitzpatrick has established on the field in recent years, the Jets can expect more touchdowns than interceptions as he had a better than 2/1 ratio last year at 31-15, and 133-89 in the past six seasons, never throwing more INT’s than TD’s.

They can expect him to complete 60% or more of his passes, even coming up a handful completions short of that number last season when he came in at 59.61%.  That being an aberration as Fitzpatrick has connected on 60% or better in each of the four seasons leading up to last year.

The Jets can also expect Fitzpatrick to lead and galvanize the locker room, and let’s be honest, as an unsigned free agent, he is still viewed favorably enough by his teammates that they’re willing to sit at home to support him.

Most importantly however, is that the Jets can expect Fitzpatrick to set an example for their young quarterbacks to follow in terms of work ethic and preparation.

He is far from the long-term solution on this team and everyone knows that.  However, he’s a pro’s pro and a respected leader in the locker room.  With three young quarterbacks on the roster who need mentoring, Fitz is the perfect option for the Jets.  Even thought nobody knows which of the three will lead this team down the road, the Jets are clearly placing a value on Fitzpatrick’s presence over Smith’s.  See, there’s more of that leverage again.

Whether it’s Fitz vs. Geno or hope vs expectations, it’s primarily Smith’s poor track record that gives Fitzpatrick the leverage he needs in asking for the money he wants.  Otherwise, the Jets could simply walk away, pay Smith his $1.7 million, and save a lump of cash that they wouldn’t be spending on Fitzpatrick.  Even if that does end up happening in the end, it’s clear as day that it’s not the scenario the Jets favor, otherwise they would have taken that option months ago.

“In reality, hope is the worst of all evils, because it prolongs the torments of a man”

–Friedrich Nietzsche

Here’s to hoping the torment for the Jets and their fans will come to an end sooner rather than later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[AFJF]

Going through and re-hashing Geno's first few years in the league can be pretty painful.

Here's to hoping he lights it up in the pre-season to pressure Fitz to sign, then another year on the bench to learn.

[Joe Jets fan]

I can't wait to see the Geno boys try and tear this report up 

 

"grabs popcorn and kicks back"

[faba]

Nice spin Geno sucks so the Jets have to pay me- if you want to sum it up nice and neat

[jetrider]

 

[Rangers9]

I think Fitz has got Mac on that one. He desperately does not want us to start Geno. 

[Lupz27]

42 minutes ago, AFJF said:

Going through and re-hashing Geno's first few years in the league can be pretty painful.

Here's to hoping he lights it up in the pre-season to pressure Fitz to sign, then another year on the bench to learn.

Another year on the bench so he can learn, and go be a winning QB for another team?  He will be a FA after this year, it would be so Jets like to finally develop a QB, and watch him go succeed somewhere else because they got Ryan Fitzpatricked.

[AFJF]

3 minutes ago, Lupz27 said:

Another year on the bench so he can learn, and go be a winning QB for another team?  He will be a FA after this year, it would be so Jets like to finally develop a QB, and watch him go succeed somewhere else because they got Ryan Fitzpatricked.

If he's better, he'll show it  and the coaches should switch to Geno if that's the case.  It wouldn't be the first time in the history of the NFL that one player took the starting job of another.  If he fails to unseat a weak-armed journeyman for a second consecutive season, should we be that upset that he's leaving?  

[Lupz27]

Just now, AFJF said:

If he's better, he'll show it  and the coaches should switch to Geno if that's the case.  It wouldn't be the first time in the history of the NFL that one player took the starting job of another.  If he fails to unseat a weak-armed journeyman for a second consecutive season, should we be that upset that he's leaving?  

In what planet are the Jets paying Fitzpatrick 12 million in 2016 to let G Smith start week 1 no matter how good, or bad they look, it's not happening.  And by the time the Jets bench Fitz the team will be probably 4-9ish, and quit on the year while Geno gets killed in mop up duty because guys like Marshall, and Decker are on IR with scraped vaginas because the season is over.

[AFJF]

Just now, Lupz27 said:

In what planet are the Jets paying Fitzpatrick 12 million in 2016 to let G Smith start week 1 no matter how good, or bad they look, it's not happening.  And by the time the Jets bench Fitz the team will be probably 4-9ish, and quit on the year while Geno gets killed in mop up duty because guys like Marshall, and Decker are on IR with scraped vaginas because the season is over.

Where did I say it has to be week 1?  If the anti-Fitz guys are right, Jets will be 0-7 at some point.  Good enough spot to see what Geno's made of, right?  Why keep Geno on the bench if Fitz can't throw at TD pass?

[BowlesMovement]

Just now, Lupz27 said:

In what planet are the Jets paying Fitzpatrick 12 million in 2016 to let G Smith start week 1 no matter how good, or bad they look, it's not happening.  And by the time the Jets bench Fitz the team will be probably 4-9ish, and quit on the year while Geno gets killed in mop up duty because guys like Marshall, and Decker are on IR with scraped vaginas because the season is over.

That would be so awesome to see on the injury report:

NY Jets week 15 Injury report

B. Marshall doubtful, scraped vagina, left wall

E. Decker questionable, scraped vagina, outer labia

[AFJF]

2 minutes ago, BowlesMovement said:

That would be so awesome to see on the injury report:

NY Jets week 15 Injury report

B. Marshall doubtful, scraped vagina, left wall

E. Decker questionable, scraped vagina, outer labia

Yes it would.

I wonder if other fan bases of teams who haven't won anything in 50 years turn on their players ten seconds after breaking multiple team records for offensive production the way Jets fans do.

[BowlesMovement]

Just now, AFJF said:

I wonder if other fan bases of teams who haven't won anything in 50 years turn on their players ten seconds after breaking multiple team records for offensive production the way Jets fans do.

Absolute worst fan base ever, truly. Franchise is truly doomed. joewilly12 is a caricature of Jets fans, but it is pretty spot on.

[joewilly12]

Just now, AFJF said:

I wonder if other fan bases of teams who haven't won anything in 50 years turn on their players ten seconds after breaking multiple team records for offensive production the way Jets fans do.

Ive said it a million times the night we win the Super Bowl there will be fans here bitching about something, 

[Lupz27]

1 minute ago, AFJF said:

I wonder if other fan bases of teams who haven't won anything in 50 years turn on their players ten seconds after breaking multiple team records for offensive production the way Jets fans do.

Everyone turned on Sanchez after he broke every Jets passing record in 2011, and we're right so why not Fitzpatrick? 

[AFJF]

Just now, Lupz27 said:

Everyone turned on Sanchez after he broke every Jets passing record in 2011, and we're right so why not Fitzpatrick? 

LOL...every single one of them.

 

[Lupz27]

I just don't understand how people don't see how Ryan Fitzpatrick is NOT a starting NFL QB, he is a ******* high end back up QB plain, and simple, it's so painfully obvious. 

[AFJF]

Just now, Lupz27 said:

I just don't understand how people don't see how Ryan Fitzpatrick is NOT a starting NFL QB, he is a ******* high end back up QB plain, and simple, it's so painfully obvious. 

Hey, Fitz fans don't understand how Geno fans can't see it the way the NFL executive of the year with decades of scouting experience sees it.  Fitz is still the best option.

[PatsFanTX]

Yes it would.

I wonder if other fan bases of teams who haven't won anything in 50 years turn on their players ten seconds after breaking multiple team records for offensive production the way Jets fans do.

Why do you keep saying that?

Fitz did NOT break multiple team passing records.

[BowlesMovement]

Just now, Lupz27 said:

I just don't understand how people don't see how Ryan Fitzpatrick is NOT a starting NFL QB, he is a ******* high end back up QB plain, and simple, it's so painfully obvious. 

For arguments sake, can you produce a list of high end backup QB's who have comparable career stats to him? I'd love to see the other side of the argument here. When you come up with that list, please find at least one season comparable to last years season, and than find some matches on his overall stats. Thanks.

[Lupz27]

1 minute ago, BowlesMovement said:

For arguments sake, can you produce a list of high end backup QB's who have comparable career stats to him? I'd love to see the other side of the argument here. When you come up with that list, please find at least one season comparable to last years season, and than find some matches on his overall stats. Thanks.

Tyler Thigpen, another Chan Gailey creation.  Mike Tomzak, Neil O'Donnell, and a bunch others go do your own stat hunting.

[AFJF]

2 minutes ago, PatsFanTX said:

 

 

Why do you keep saying that?

 

Fitz did NOT break multiple team passing records.

Show me where I said Fitz broke multiple passing records.

[AFJF]

3 minutes ago, BowlesMovement said:

For arguments sake, can you produce a list of high end backup QB's who have comparable career stats to him? I'd love to see the other side of the argument here. When you come up with that list, please find at least one season comparable to last years season, and than find some matches on his overall stats. Thanks.

And how many of those are available right now.

[Lupz27]

I can't wait to see my father tommorow so I can punch him in the face for making me a Jets fan, and it's all Ryan Fitzpatrick's fault.

[BowlesMovement]

1 minute ago, Lupz27 said:

Tyler Thigpen, another Chan Gailey creation.  Mike Tomzak, Neil O'Donnell, and a bunch others go do your own stat hunting.

Well, you brought it up, so I assume when you make definitive statements like that, you have real info to back it up, but lets look at 1) on your list:

Thigpen, total career stats in 8 seasons in the NFL 21TD's 18 Int's, 3222 yards. I am a bit confused here with your list, please help us see the clarity that you see.

[Lupz27]

2 minutes ago, BowlesMovement said:

Well, you brought it up, so I assume when you make definitive statements like that, you have real info to back it up, but lets look at 1) on your list:

Thigpen, total career stats in 8 seasons in the NFL 21TD's 18 Int's, 3222 yards. I am a bit confused here with your list, please help us see the clarity that you see.

My clarity is 41-61-1 

[BowlesMovement]

Just now, Lupz27 said:

My clarity is 41-61-1 

Oh, so football is a one player sport, got it, thanks for the clarity.......

[Rangers9]

Tyler Thigpen over Fitz. That's the best you can do. 

[AFJF]

4 minutes ago, BowlesMovement said:

Well, you brought it up, so I assume when you make definitive statements like that, you have real info to back it up, but lets look at 1) on your list:

Thigpen, total career stats in 8 seasons in the NFL 21TD's 18 Int's, 3222 yards. I am a bit confused here with your list, please help us see the clarity that you see.

Mike Tomczak career starts: 73

Mike Tomczak career TD's: 88

Mike Tomczak career INT's: 106

Fitz career starts: 105

Fitz career TD's: 154

Fitz career ITN's: 116

[BowlesMovement]

2 minutes ago, Rangers9 said:

Tyler Thigpen over Fitz. That's the best you can do. 

I wonder where @Jet Nut is as the hate defender? Or is it only Geno hate he attacks?

[BowlesMovement]

Just now, AFJF said:

Mike Tomczak career starts: 73

Mike Tomczak career TD's: 88

Mike Tomczak career INT's: 106

Fitz career starts: 105

Fitz career TD's: 154

Fitz career ITN's: 116

Clarity!!

[AFJF]

Either way...smart move by Fitz to negotiate this way.  Could be showing up to the negotiation table with a copy of the depth chart w/o Fitz under contract and hold it up every time the Jets make an offer.

Even still...he needs to take what's on the table.

[Mainejet]

This is becoming a gigantic powder keg as time goes on.....

If the Jets want to sign Fitz, it's going to apparently cost them more than what was in discussion in this forum. The benefit of that is at least the Jets go down fighting with their best players. Based on the schedule and various other factors this team will not be good this season. But with Fitz, you can honestly say at least they had their very bet and it wasn't good enough.

If Mac opts to move on from Fitz altogether? If he decides Geno is his guy? That could possibly sign both Mike MacCagnan and Todd Bowles death warrant. Jets season ticket holders/fans got a taste of good QB play and a winning season last year. Jets season ticket holders have a powerful lobby right now. They just got done wrecking John Idzik's NY career. If Mac spurns Fitz and his money demands and goes with Geno and Geno plays like he always does? Do not be surprised if a LOT of the fan base turns on Mac/Bowles. 3 to 4 million is viewed as chump change in terms of NFL contracts. If that's what causes the Jets and Fitz to reach an impasse, the fan base may not like that very much.

So this is a very explosive situation that bears watching, many careers could be at stack in this. Not just Fitz career, but also the front office.

[Rangers9]

14 minutes ago, BowlesMovement said:

I wonder where @Jet Nut is as the hate defender? Or is it only Geno hate he attacks?

Well do you remember He Hate Me from the XFL? He's better than Fitz, too.?

[jfmckenna]

Poor Geno. You know you suck when a journeyman QB with no other offers uses the prospect of you starting as leverage...and it works!

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