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New York Jets: Details On Fitzpatrick Contract Offers New Insight Into Dispute

By Michael Dolce
Published on: 12:36 PST, May 29, 2016

Free agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has been sitting on the sidelines since free agency began on March 9, awaiting an offer from his former team, the New York Jets, that meets his liking.

Earlier in the week, as reported by Newsday, details from one such offer leaked into the media, showing that the Jets – who many assumed were trying to low-ball their starter from a year ago – weren’t being as stingy as everyone once believed.

“Despite reports that they have offered about $7 million or $8 million a year, their $12-million offer for 2016 is almost four times what Fitzpatrick earned last season ($3.25 million) after his trade from the Houston Texans. And indications are it’s been on the table since March.”

These details completely flipped the narrative and painted Ryan as a greedy athlete who wanted more than he was worth.

But now the NY Post has shed light on the remainder of that three year deal which is significantly more top-heavy than what Fitzpatrick was hoping for and could explain why the Jets starter from a year ago hasn’t signed on.

“The team offered him a three-year, $24 million deal, a source confirmed Sunday. Fitzpatrick would get paid $12 million in 2016 but only $6 million in 2017 and $6 million in 2018 unless he hit incentives that could drive the total value up to $36 million.”

The article further elaborated why Fitzpatrick would be hesitant to want to sign up for such an incentive-laden contract in the final two years.

“If he has a strong 2016, the Jets then have him locked in at $6 million in 2016. Or, if he loses the starting job in 2016, the Jets could hold onto him for less money than he might be able to make elsewhere.”

Pro Football Rumors meanwhile, broke down the contract against the rest of the league, and what they’ve found makes even more sense as to why Fitzpatrick hasn’t exactly jumped at their offer.

“That $8MM annual average would rank just 23rd among quarterbacks in the NFL, behind the likes of Andy Dalton and Nick Foles and just ahead of Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. If that’s the case, it’s not surprising that Fitzpatrick finds that offer a bit unfair after a season during which he helped the Jets to a 10-6 record while passing for almost 4,000 yards and 31 touchdowns.”

As reported by Inquisitr, the timing of these leaks coincide with Eric Decker’s recent protest of how Fitzpatrick was being treated by the team. As ESPN’s Rich Cimini points out in his most recent blog, Decker and Fitzpatrick are both represented by the same agency.

“You can bet some folks at One Jets Drive took note of the fact that Decker and Fitzpatrick are represented by the same agency, CAA,” Cimini wrote. “Decker is a Fitzpatrick loyalist, but it also struck some as an orchestrated negotiating tactic.”

Decker purposely missed the Jet’s voluntary OTAs opting instead to go on vacation with his wife, Jesse James. The country singer posted pics of the beautiful couple and their kids to Instagram.

Regardless of what started this war of numbers, Connor Hughes of The Jets Wire believes that now that Pandora’s box has been opened, and the negotiations have moved from the board room to the media, that the fun is just getting started for New York Jets fans.

[Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images]

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