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From NYDN  

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/wasn-easy-ryan-fitzpatrick-details-tough-offseason-article-1.2729441

 

Ryan Fitzpatrick's strange and surreal six-month vacation finally came to an end Wednesday night when he agreed to a 1-year, $12 million deal with the Jets.

"Oh my gosh… it's been a long six months for sure," Fitzpatrick told the Daily News Thursday morning in his first comments since the end of last season. "The biggest feeling was relief. Just relief to have it over and done with. And then when I was driving in (Wednesday night to the team facility) and walking up to the team meeting, it was like the first day of school. I was just all excited to see everybody and to be back in the building. Because through the entire offseason program, I wasn't allowed to be there. It was such a weird feeling. I was 10 minutes away just sitting at home getting calls and texts every day. After every practice, talking with the guys and not being allowed in the building to participate and compete with them. That made it an awfully long offseason for me. Now I'm ready to get to work."

Fitzpatrick, the team's undisputed leader, closed an odd chapter in his 12-year career by agreeing to terms on a deal after a protracted negotiation filled with drama.

"I thought that it would always get done," Fitzpatrick said. "Unfortunately, we had to go through that long process to get to the end result. But I didn't have any doubts that at some point it would work itself out. … Everybody's trying to get a leg up on the bargaining table with negotiations. I thought for the most part it was good that it stayed behind closed doors. There was obviously that one period where they released some of the numbers on the contract. Then all the numbers came out. There was such a he said-she said back-and-forth going on. I didn't really love that part of it. Like I said, I'm ready to go and get to work and put it all behind us. And I'm glad that it's over."

So, how long was Fitzpatrick prepared to sit out?

"That might be a better question for my wife," he said with a laugh. "She was giving me the evil eye every day. … The two words that Mike Maccagnan has used are fair and reasonable. I wanted something that was fair and reasonable. I think this worked out for both parties."

Fitzpatrick became the unlikely centerpiece for the team after being thrust into the starting role in the wake of Geno Smith's locker room altercation with a teammate landed him with a broken jaw. Fitzpatrick's magical season that included 3,905 yards and a franchise-record 31 touchdowns ended in disappointment in a Week 17 loss in Buffalo that kept the Jets out of the playoffs, leaving some of the Jets faithful wondering whether the veteran quarterback could be trusted if he did come back this season.

Fitzpatrick was emotional after that loss, accepting full responsibility (even though there were plenty of other culprits) for his three-interception performance. He maintained Thursday that that type of performance was an aberration.

 

"If you look at the five games before that (loss to the Bills), those were all really important games too," Fitzpatrick said. "Unfortunately, football's hard and you're going to have bad games sometimes. But I think that the way that we had it going at the end of last year was pretty good. I ended up not having a good game in the last game, but there are a lot of things that we can build off from last season. I think we have the right guys to do it. We had a great chemistry going at the end of the year. We just got to get some of that back and get moving now."

Fitzpatrick, who will turn 34 in November, believes his best is yet to come.

"I'm getting better as a quarterback," Fitzpatrick said. "A lot of that is an understanding of the game, of myself, of who I'm playing against. So I think there's been a nice upward trend in my career of getting better as I get older…. This is the fifth year that I'm going into the year as a starter. So it's not like I've had a 12-year career where every year I've been the starter. There have been a lot of times when I've been the backup. So there's been a lot of growth in my career. I'm just excited for the opportunity this year, but I think I'm going to continue to get better."

He was never going to retire for myriad reasons. He believes he's ascending. He also didn't want to abandon guys like Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall, who, frankly, did a lot of the negotiating for him with their public support and repeated social media posts. Heck, Marshall posted a picture with Fitzpatrick and his sons a little more than 24 hours before players reported for camp.

I'll tell you what. This whole process has been so long and hard and something I wouldn't wish upon anybody, but if there's a silver lining in it, at least for me, it's the respect and support that those guys showed for me throughout the process," Fitzpatrick said. "It was huge. That's why you play the game. You play the game for your teammates, who really want to play with and for you. That was big for me…. I felt like I had to get back for those guys. I'm glad that we're going to be able to get to work today."

Fitzpatrick's off-season preparation was unlike anything he has experienced as a professional. So, how did he get ready for this season?

"It wasn't easy," Fitzpatrick said. "I was chasing around my five kids and throwing the ball to my brother, who played tight end in college. It wasn't ideal, but this will be my 12th training camp. So I think I know what I need to do to prepare. I'll definitely have to knock off some rust for the next week or two, because I haven't really been throwing to wide receivers, especially with guys with this speed. But that will all come in the next few weeks. ... I think I'll just be thrown in there. There's probably a little bit of rust that needs to be knocked off, but it is like riding a bike."

Fitzpatrick will be the best quarterback in the AFC East for the first month of the season until Tom Brady returns from his four-game suspension, but the Jets signal caller doesn't believe that the Patriots are necessarily more vulnerable.

"I don't know that that changes much," Fitzpatrick said. "It's not like he's suspended for the playoffs. I think we got to focus more on our ourselves."

That begins in earnest now that the Jets have their leader back.

 

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I think we are getting a very motivated Fitz back. The coherence in the locker room is far more important than any contract number. Players wanted Fitz back, Fitz wanted to be back. I hope something special comes out of it. Yes schedule is brutal but seeing how 9-7 teams or even 8-8 teams made the playoffs in the past as Wild Card, maybe this year we won't need to win 10 games to make it to the playoffs. 

Godspees Fitzy, I didn't want you back at 12 mil per year but who cares. I hope you crush every Jets record and carry us into the playoffs. 

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3 minutes ago, Rangers9 said:

The guy is cool on and off the field. The FO tried to push him around and make him sign a bad deal. And he wouldn't go for it. To me it showed a lot of character. On his part not the Jets. 

Totally disagree. I like Fitz, but Mac played it right. He got the contract done on time, and didn't pay anymore than he had to. As a fan you should be happy we have a GM who acts responsibly and is able to sign the likes of Wilkerson & Fitz. No harm done.

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Just now, JetsFanatic said:

Totally disagree. I like Fitz, but Mac played it right. He got the contract done on time, and didn't pay anymore than he had to. As a fan you should be happy we have a GM who acts responsibly and is able to sign the likes of Wilkerson & Fitz. No harm done.

Sorry not a good job by Mac. But imo it isn't him it is the owner. You don't go seven months and disrupt the team and create a Qb controversy and a distraction and basically give him the deal he really wanted. Waiting until the exact last minute to complete something he could have done months ago. It was a failed power play by the Jets FO. Sure Fitz put his career on the line kind of but he wouldn't go for a bad deal. And the Jets actually can save money on this. 

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I'm going to go opposite view here and say that resigning Fitz was a mistake, especially for $12m. The Jets have to clear room under the cap for that.

The fact is that he's a career backup who had a decent year last year because of a soft schedule and two very good wide receivers. When the big game came at the end of last season, he basically did the opposite of what truly great QBs do - instead of finding a way to win, he found a way to lose with three pics at especially big moments. 

Now, when he's facing guys like Patrick Peterson and Richard Sherman early in the season, do you really think he's going to do as well? Honestly, I think we're going to be calling for Geno after three games. Frankly, I think his resigning neither makes the Jets better or helps Hackenburg's growth, who Mac & co are banking on as the QB of the future.

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2 minutes ago, nyjunc said:

Macc did a great job as he has from the beginning.  He couldn't have handled it better.

If that's the case why didn't he get Fitz to sign the 3 year deal they wouldn't budge off of for 7 months. All of this time if he could have been working out at Florham Park with his teammates and preparing for 2016. It's a failed Woody Johnson power play and stupid. And most fans are pissed off about it. 

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5 minutes ago, Rangers9 said:

Sorry not a good job by Mac. But imo it isn't him it is the owner. You don't go seven months and disrupt the team and create a Qb controversy and a distraction and basically give him the deal he really wanted. Waiting until the exact last minute to complete something he could have done months ago. It was a failed power play by the Jets FO. Sure Fitz put his career on the line kind of but he wouldn't go for a bad deal. And the Jets actually can save money on this. 

Create a distraction..? Mac has to think about the cap number too. He can't just hand out deals without taking the future into consideration 1 year/12 mill was a move that doesn't kill our 2017 cap space and gives us Fitz this year. People who wanted to save cap and people who wanted to sign Fitz both got what they wanted...Mac did a fine job.

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2 minutes ago, Rangers9 said:

Sorry not a good job by Mac. But imo it isn't him it is the owner. You don't go seven months and disrupt the team and create a Qb controversy and a distraction and basically give him the deal he really wanted. Waiting until the exact last minute to complete something he could have done months ago. It was a failed power play by the Jets FO. Sure Fitz put his career on the line kind of but he wouldn't go for a bad deal. And the Jets actually can save money on this. 

Fitz and his agent wanted $18M guaranteed. Mac was smart not to bite. In the end, it's a fair contract. $12M guaranteed, with an additional $3M if the Jets advance to the post season. What's wrong with that? Again, I like Fitz, and if he has a similar season to last, Mac might want to extend during the season to avoid a repeat of this off-season, but I thought he handled this situation as good as possible.

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2 minutes ago, Rangers9 said:

Sorry not a good job by Mac. But imo it isn't him it is the owner. You don't go seven months and disrupt the team and create a Qb controversy and a distraction and basically give him the deal he really wanted. Waiting until the exact last minute to complete something he could have done months ago. It was a failed power play by the Jets FO. Sure Fitz put his career on the line kind of but he wouldn't go for a bad deal. And the Jets actually can save money on this. 

Sometimes you try to negotiate into a better position and it doesn't work under the circumstances. You can't win them all.

If you really want to put blame to somebody in the organization you blame Bowles for making the comment at the end of the year that Fitz was this year's starter. You can't say that about a guy who isn't under contract for the next year. Fitz's agent knew Bowles wanted Fitz and demanded a salary commensurate with it. That left Macc little room to tell Fitz's agent they were fine moving forward on Geno. It's the same thing that happened when Rex made the comment about Revis being the best cornerback in the league. Revis's agent came back for a contract at that standard.

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2 minutes ago, Rangers9 said:

If that's the case why didn't he get Fitz to sign the 3 year deal they wouldn't budge off of for 7 months. All of this time if he could have been working out at Florham Park with his teammates and preparing for 2016. It's a failed Woody Johnson power play and stupid. And most fans are pissed off about it. 

What harm is done? Who cares who the QB is in May? The contract was done prior to the start of TC. If Fitz were young or unfamiliar with Gailey's offense I would agree with you, but he knows this system in his sleep. All he needs is TC and Pre-season to get his timing back.

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1 minute ago, Freemanm said:

I'm going to go opposite view here and say that resigning Fitz was a mistake, especially for $12m. The Jets have to clear room under the cap for that.

The fact is that he's a career backup who had a decent year last year because of a soft schedule and two very good wide receivers. When the big game came at the end of last season, he basically did the opposite of what truly great QBs do - instead of finding a way to win, he found a way to lose with three pics at especially big moments. 

Now, when he's facing guys like Patrick Peterson and Richard Sherman early in the season, do you really think he's going to do as well? Honestly, I think we're going to be calling for Geno after three games. Frankly, I think his resigning neither makes the Jets better or helps Hackenburg's growth, who Mac & co are banking on as the QB of the future.

The whole crux of this argument is who else other than the limited journeyman.  If you think Geno smith is as good or better then Fitzpatrick then it was a bad move by the Jets.  I've seen more than enough of Geno smith to conclude that he gives us a far worse chance to win games than Fitzpatrick and am still bewildered that people totally dismiss the best over all offense this team has had in years based on last year.

The last straw for me re Geno was the Oakland game last year where he did what he has always done.  Throw some nice passes, put up some nice numbers, look pretty good for a few drives and then just make a few mindbogglingly awful decisions when it counts.

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5 minutes ago, Rangers9 said:

If that's the case why didn't he get Fitz to sign the 3 year deal they wouldn't budge off of for 7 months. All of this time if he could have been working out at Florham Park with his teammates and preparing for 2016. It's a failed Woody Johnson power play and stupid. And most fans are pissed off about it. 

they only really wanted him for this year, the 3 year deal was to spread the cap charge.  he didn't have an offseason last year either and did ok.  Revis(not that i am comparing a mediocre QB to the greatest cover corner of all time) held out all training camp in 2010 and we made the title game.  offseason and even camp can be overrated for vets.  he's here for a full training camp, hopefully he's been working out on his own and he and the rest of the team make it out of preseason w/o any disastrous injuries.

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Just now, JetsFanatic said:

What harm is done? Who cares who the QB is in May? The contract was done prior to the start of TC. If Fitz were young or unfamiliar with Gailey's offense I would agree with you, but he knows this system in his sleep. All he needs is TC and Pre-season to get his timing back.

Exactly.. That was the goal the entire time. It was even stated publicly, all they wanted to do was have it done before camp and they got it done just in time. I see no wrong in the amount of time it took to sign. He wanted 18 million to begin with and although I wanted to see Geno play..the contract wasn't bad at all. Like I said..I'm just glad no cap space from future years will be affected.

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28 minutes ago, Rangers9 said:

The guy is cool on and off the field. The FO tried to push him around and make him sign a bad deal. And he wouldn't go for it. To me it showed a lot of character. On his part not the Jets. 

I don't think the Jets have to show character in contract negotiations because we are living in the salary cap age. I agree though, Fitz did show a lot of character, his side didn't release anything and they did this behind closed doors. For that he and his agent should be commended.

I think the biggest thing this shows is that the dude has a lot of balls. 6 million the next two seasons isn't a lot for a NFL QB but it is still 12 million dollars that he walked away from. They could have pushed to have it all guaranteed or more incentives. But he said no, I got this and took the one year deal.

He believes in himself and I like the line that he says he is getting better. It is possible (Rich Gannon) and that is what has to happen. He has to get better....if so everyone will be pretty damn happy.

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12 minutes ago, JetsFanatic said:

Fitz and his agent wanted $18M guaranteed. Mac was smart not to bite. In the end, it's a fair contract. $12M guaranteed, with an additional $3M if the Jets advance to the post season. What's wrong with that? Again, I like Fitz, and if he has a similar season to last, Mac might want to extend during the season to avoid a repeat of this off-season, but I thought he handled this situation as good as possible.

Fitz said in June he would take a one year 12 mil deal. 

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Just now, JetsFanatic said:

Don't forget when Mo signed on 7/15 it freed up $5.7M making it easier to give Fitz a 1 year deal.

As for this 18 mil figure. I never heard that number mentioned until   yesterday. It's obviously unrealistic. My guess is that the Jets org leaked it to save face. I think yesterday the Jets FO proved they could do a cap manipulation of this type. It's no big deal they understand the business. And not that much money. 

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In today's sports landscape there are rare examples of the solidarity and loyalty that Fitz's teammates showed him during this negotating process. This team with Fitz has a certain chemistry that you can't buy. Hopefully, this continues and we can actually make a run at and through the playoffa. But it's nice to see the Jets with a team that I can enjoy rooting for and seemingly love playing together.

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10 minutes ago, Rangers9 said:

As for this 18 mil figure. I never heard that number mentioned until   yesterday. It's obviously unrealistic. My guess is that the Jets org leaked it to save face. I think yesterday the Jets FO proved they could do a cap manipulation of this type. It's no big deal they understand the business. And not that much money. 

wrong.  Fitz initial demands were Osweiler money.  Namely, $18 million per.  It was discussed at length.  Yesterday was the first you ever heard it?  OK.  If you are a true Jets fan, I guess you were vacationing or were in the midst of some ADD moment.

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42 minutes ago, Rangers9 said:

If that's the case why didn't he get Fitz to sign the 3 year deal they wouldn't budge off of for 7 months. All of this time if he could have been working out at Florham Park with his teammates and preparing for 2016. It's a failed Woody Johnson power play and stupid. And most fans are pissed off about it. 

Most fans don't seem pissed. The minority is pissed from what we see.

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41 minutes ago, Freemanm said:

I'm going to go opposite view here and say that resigning Fitz was a mistake, especially for $12m. The Jets have to clear room under the cap for that.

The fact is that he's a career backup who had a decent year last year because of a soft schedule and two very good wide receivers. When the big game came at the end of last season, he basically did the opposite of what truly great QBs do - instead of finding a way to win, he found a way to lose with three pics at especially big moments. 

Now, when he's facing guys like Patrick Peterson and Richard Sherman early in the season, do you really think he's going to do as well? Honestly, I think we're going to be calling for Geno after three games. Frankly, I think his resigning neither makes the Jets better or helps Hackenburg's growth, who Mac & co are banking on as the QB of the future.

Not really fair to focus just on the Bills game when he won that Pats game with late game heroics.  Perfect he ain't.  I'm hoping he turns out to be like Rich Gannon, who really didn't hit his stride until 33 or 34.  Cross your fingers and hope for the best.

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48 minutes ago, Rangers9 said:

Sorry not a good job by Mac. But imo it isn't him it is the owner. You don't go seven months and disrupt the team and create a Qb controversy and a distraction and basically give him the deal he really wanted. Waiting until the exact last minute to complete something he could have done months ago. It was a failed power play by the Jets FO. Sure Fitz put his career on the line kind of but he wouldn't go for a bad deal. And the Jets actually can save money on this. 

Offseason disruption? That's just terrible.

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1 hour ago, Rangers9 said:

The guy is cool on and off the field. The FO tried to push him around and make him sign a bad deal. And he wouldn't go for it. To me it showed a lot of character. On his part not the Jets. 

Bad deal? $12mil guaranteed vs $15mil guaranteed? I have zero faith in Fitz n he'll be the same journeyman he's always been in his career. I'll be shocked if he was to make $6 mil each of the next two years, making this overpriced one year deal a not-so-bitter pill to swallow. 

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55 minutes ago, JetsFanatic said:

Totally disagree. I like Fitz, but Mac played it right. He got the contract done on time, and didn't pay anymore than he had to. As a fan you should be happy we have a GM who acts responsibly and is able to sign the likes of Wilkerson & Fitz. No harm done.

What? Fitz was willing to take this same deal months ago. How did Macc play this just "right"? Had Fitz signed for $11mil, I would agree with you. Mac panicked. Simple. We paid Fitz twice his worth. Could've ended the drama back in May or even earlier. And same with Wilkerson. He offered a deal Mo couldn't resist at the last second. Could've done the same with him too. Mo is worth his contract so I give Mac the credit for not overpaying him. 

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52 minutes ago, Rangers9 said:

If that's the case why didn't he get Fitz to sign the 3 year deal they wouldn't budge off of for 7 months. All of this time if he could have been working out at Florham Park with his teammates and preparing for 2016. It's a failed Woody Johnson power play and stupid. And most fans are pissed off about it. 

Woody Johnson is all about public relations. I tend to believe that with the hiring of Mac & Bolwes, he recognizes that sticking his nose into the business of his team is bad buisiness. However, if he was involved with the Fitz dealings at all, I'd think he was involved in getting Mac to cave, rather than being part of the hard line against him. Woody reads the press clippings (OMG! How Can The Jets Let Fitz Get Away!), Mac really doesn't seem to give a crap. 

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5 minutes ago, slats said:

Woody Johnson is all about public relations. I tend to believe that with the hiring of Mac & Bolwes, he recognizes that sticking his nose into the business of his team is bad buisiness. However, if he was involved with the Fitz dealings at all, I'd think he was involved in getting Mac to cave, rather than being part of the hard line against him. Woody reads the press clippings (OMG! How Can The Jets Let Fitz Get Away!), Mac really doesn't seem to give a crap. 

Woody had a couple of brief but scathing comments about Geno in the Town Hall last year at Florham Park.  

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46 minutes ago, Maxman said:

I don't think the Jets have to show character in contract negotiations because we are living in the salary cap age. I agree though, Fitz did show a lot of character, his side didn't release anything and they did this behind closed doors. For that he and his agent should be commended.

I think the biggest thing this shows is that the dude has a lot of balls. 6 million the next two seasons isn't a lot for a NFL QB but it is still 12 million dollars that he walked away from. They could have pushed to have it all guaranteed or more incentives. But he said no, I got this and took the one year deal.

He believes in himself and I like the line that he says he is getting better. It is possible (Rich Gannon) and that is what has to happen. He has to get better....if so everyone will be pretty damn happy.

One thing we can put to bed is that Fitz is a leader. When you're still leading players from home, and veteran players that have never met you before, like Forte, then you are a leader. Can he lead them deep into the playoffs is another question, but getting the players to follow you is the first step. 

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21 minutes ago, Maxman said:

Most fans don't seem pissed. The minority is pissed from what we see.

"Fitz is a JAG bum who stinks but Jets are idiots for caving in and not locking him up on a longterm deal."

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