The top question as the Jets enter this offseason centers around the same position it usually does: quarterback.
But, unlike most years with the Jets, it appears the team has a solid answer to the question. It is just a matter of re-signing Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is scheduled to become a free agent in March.
“We’d like very much to get him back, obviously based on how he played this year, but I don’t really want to get into the speculation aspect of it,” Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan said Thursday. “I would simply leave it at: We’ll see how this thing works out.”
Fitzpatrick and the Jets have made no secret of their desire for another year together. Why would they?
Fitzpatrick, 33, broke the team’s record for touchdowns in a season with 31 and engineered the best offense the Jets have ever had if you look at total yards gained. For Fitzpatrick, it is a chance to stay in the same place after playing for four different teams in the past four seasons.
It will be up to Maccagnan and Fitzpatrick’s agents to work out a contract, but that is not expected to be an issue.
The bigger question for the Jets at the position is about who will back up Fitzpatrick. Jets coach Todd Bowles already declared Fitzpatrick the starter if he returns. So what happens to Geno Smith? The former starter received a lukewarm endorsement from Maccagnan, who said Smith is “under contract,” words a player never wants to hear a GM say. That is basically a nice way of saying he’s on the team for now.
“With Geno, he’s under contract,” Maccagnan said. “We like the progress he’s made and, quite frankly, how he handled the situation in the summer. Right now, I’d say going forward we’re going to see how Geno and Bryce [Petty] progress with the offseason and go from there. That’s assuming we are able to re-sign Ryan.”
What if the Jets can’t re-sign Fitzpatrick?
“You have to be prepared for all potentialities,” Maccagnan said.
That could lead to the Jets looking for a new quarterback or turning back to Smith, who was expected to be the starter in 2015 until IK Enemkpali’s fist intervened.
One of Maccagnan’s most interesting answers came when he was asked how he would feel about Smith being the starter.
“I would say right now it would be interesting,” Maccagnan said after a pause. “That’s a question more to see how they do in the offseason. I think Geno played well in the limited amount of time he was in there during the regular season.”
Maccagnan praised Fitzpatrick, whom the Jets acquired in a trade from Houston last March, for his role in mentoring Smith and Petty, who did not play at all as a rookie. Petty likely won’t get a chance to compete for the starting job this year, but he may be able to win the No. 2 job with a strong offseason.
“Bryce has made a lot of progress,” Maccagnan said. “We’re kind of excited to have another offseason with him.”
With Petty on the team as a developmental quarterback, the Jets probably won’t target a quarterback in the draft, but Maccagnan acknowledged that unless you have Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers, you are always looking at quarterbacks.
“It’s such an important position that every NFL team probably goes into the draft, with maybe a few exceptions of people who have really well-established quarterbacks, always looking at that position as a position of interest,” he said. “So, we’ll be no different than them.”