Jason LaCanfora penned an article yesterday looking at some of the unsettled quarterback situations across the league. He did not have a ton of new news on the standoff between the Jets and Ryan Fitzpatrick, but he did lend credence to the idea that any talk of Fitzpatrick retiring was posturing from the quarterback's camp.
If anyone should be paying attention to the Bradford situation, it's Fitzpatrick, who has already worn out his welcome in many of the places you could make the case still could possibly use a quarterback. He's drawn zero interest from the others.
I checked in on this situation and literally nothing has changed between Fitzpatrick and the Jets. Status quo. Stalemate.
And now, with the market even less robust after being flooded by all the cheap rookie arms that were just drafted, well, it's time for Fitzpatrick to take what the Jets have on the table.
The issue remains to be the second and third years of the deal, where the Jets are hesitant to guarantee much. And, frankly, they hold all the cards and always have.
Fitzpatrick's friends around the league aren't buying the fact that he might retire. They know he loves playing for offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, and it's beyond time he tells agent Jimmy Sexton to work out the best one-year they can and sign.
Get $10 million for one year and gamble on yourself. It's the perfect team and the perfect system and you had too much fun last year to walk away now.
The fact this stalemate has lasted into May shows the leverage the two sides have on each other. Fitzpatrick has no suitors other than the Jets. The Jets also do not have any options better than Fitzpatrick. As much as some fans might speculate that Geno Smith could play just as well, he has not proven he can play as effectively as Fitzpatrick.
Ultimately if Fitzpatrick does want to continue his career, he will probably have to concede more than the Jets will since he has no viable alternative.