Jets GM doesn't regret signing Ryan Fitzpatrick, won't say if he'll be back
Could FitzTragic get another year in New York?
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Ryan Fitzpatrick has not been a very good NFL quarterback this year, which makes sense, because Ryan Fitzpatrick has never been a very good NFL quarterback in his 10-plus years in the league. This isn't a surprise for anyone ... except the Jets.
The Jets, of course, engaged in what felt like the world's longest contract standoff with Fitzpatrick this offseason before eventually signing him to a $12 million contract. That was not a wise decision -- again, except if you ask the Jets to explain it.
On Tuesday, Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan revealed he doesn't have any regrets about bringing back Fitzpatrick.
"No," Maccagnan said, per SNY's Ralph Vacchiano. "Honestly, I think, Ryan was very instrumental in a lot of our success in our 10-6 season. But no, I have no regrets about bringing Ryan back. I think going into it we felt very good about the season Ryan had previously. So I have no regrets from that standpoint."
That shouldn't have been the case. Sure, Fitzpatrick threw a ton of touchdowns last year, but his game film clearly indicated that he was bound to regress.
Still, Maccagnan has no regrets.
"He holds himself to a pretty high standard and I'm sure we all would like to have better success on the field as a team," Maccagnan said. "But from the standpoint of bringing Ryan back, no, I don't have any regrets on that."
And here's the best part: Maccagnan wouldn't rule out the possibility of bringing him back next year.
"I would say those are questions we'll deal with when the season ends," Maccagnan said. "We still have six games left to play, so you don't know how things will unfold here going forward."
I get that he's most likely avoiding the topic altogether and the likelihood of the Jets bringing back the worst starting quarterback in the NFL are slim to none, but to avoid giving Jets fans one collective heart attack, he probably should've just shot down the notion.
It can't happen. Fitzpatrick leads the league in interceptions with 13 and is last in passer rating (67.6). Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg might not be the answer next season -- they probably aren't -- but that shouldn't force the team to make a move of desperation like they did this past summer.
Besides, other veteran quarterbacks like Tony Romo and Jay Cutler might be available. Say what you want about those quarterbacks and their clear issues -- Romo can't stay healthy and Cutler is inconsistent -- but they both represent a substantial upgrade over Fitzpatrick.
