While there were reports yesterday that talks between the Jets and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick were still “far apart,” that doesn’t mean his time in New York is over.
According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, the Jets still want to bring Fitzpatrick back, and are doing a little bluff-calling of their own.
He describes the Jets as thinking Fitzpatrick is worth around $15 million, which seems reasonable enough. At least until you consider Sam Bradford’s making $18 million per year for two, and Kirk Cousins is getting $19.9 million for one.
Mehta points to the fact that agent Jimmy Sexton represents not only Fitzpatrick, but also Brock Osweiler, perhaps the only other viable starting quarterback candidate on the market. That allows Sexton a certain place of influence in the market, able to dictate the terms at the most important position for a number of teams. Sexton also represents Jets defensive tackle Damon Harrison, who they would like to keep.
So for now, they’ll let Sexton shop around to see if there’s another team out there who will overpay for Fitzpatrick. It could backfire on them, leaving them without a guy the staff wants around for another few years, in a market lacking replacement options.
Or it could just be the natural evolution of a negotiation, played out in front of a hungry media.