Fitzpatrick was a free agent who was locked in a contract stalemate with the Jets since free agency began in March.
Advertisement
The team was also instructed not to discuss the deal with anyone yesterday, especially the media. Fitzpatrick declined to say whether he was prepared to sit out if the team hadn’t sweetened the proposal. “So, it was not like one of those shocking things”.
Geno Smith, who was replaced by Fitzpatrick last preseason after having his jaw broken by a teammate’s sucker punch in the locker room, returns to his No. 2 role. The Jets also plan on seeing what their other two quarterbacks, second-year player Bryce Petty and rookie Christian Hackenberg, have to offer. Heading into this one, their record-setting quarterback is out to prove to himself he can build off a breakout 2015, along with a head coach who has a more advanced understanding of what lays at his fingertips.
I am curious to see if he can have the same numbers he did last season to make the months of waiting worth it.
Four years earlier, in Buffalo, Fitzpatrick for half the season played like a Pro Bowler, before defences crouched up and defied him to throw deep, which he couldn’t do effectively.
“That was a deal that basically said, ‘We want you here, and then we want you to say here as the backup, ‘”, Fitzpatrick said to Hughes. “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”.
It was just like old times when Fitzpatrick hit Marshall down the left sideline for a long “touchdown” pass that drew some loud cheers from a small group of fans.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Fitzpatrick’s 105 career starts without a playoff appearance are the second most in the National Football League since the 1970 merger, trailing only Archie Manning’s 139.
“It’s his job”, Bowles said of Fitzpatrick. There was such a he said-she said back-and-forth going on.
Smith has struggled mightily in his first few seasons as a pro, recording 35 total interceptions and just 27 touchdowns in 31 career games. “That’s not how I view myself”.
Advertisement
“I always thought this day would come”, Fitzpatrick said.
