Last year, Fitzpatrick started the Jets’ week two game in Indianapolis on Monday Night Football and played well, completing 22 of 34 passes (64.7%) for 244 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception for a passer rating of 93.3.
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Fitzpatrick had a career-year in 2015 for the Jets, but at 33-years-old, the organization seemed very hesitant to commit to him long-term.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself, but the pressure that I feel is, I have guys like Brandon and Deck who stuck their necks out and they were in my corner all offseason”, Fitzpatrick said.
The Jets wanted Fitzpatrick and he wanted them, yet he refused to sign the offer that sat on the table for months – three years, $24 million, including a total guarantee of $16 million.
Bowles and general manager Mike Maccagnan repeatedly said all offseason that they’d like to have Fitzpatrick back, with the coach saying the veteran would enter camp as the team’s starter if he re-signed.
Fitzpatrick and the Jets agreed to a one-year deal worth $12 million guaranteed on Wednesday night.
“All along, all I wanted was a fair and reasonable deal”, he said.
With so much uncertainty surrounding Fitzpatrick these past few months he said he remained confident he would re-sign, but he admitted he didn’t expect it to take so long.
“I have a better idea of what I have and what I’m gonna do going forward”, Bowles said. “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”. If he reaches those added incentives, it would mean he has, at the least, matched his performance from a season ago.
With the training camp getting underway on Thursday, the Jets were under pressure to make the 11th hour agreement after giving Fitzpatrick an ultimatum, reported ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
In the end, though, NY has the quarterback who almost led them to the playoffs last season back under center. “I think this worked out for both sides”. Nd now, the Jets and Fitzpatrick finally made it happen.
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“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”, Fitzpatrick continued. “Which I don’t know if he’s allowed to give it to me, but he did”.
