New York Jets Receive So-So Grade From ESPN For Free Agency
The New York Jets did not have much cap space this offseason, and still have no quarterback, which resulted in a low free agency grade from ESPN.
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The New York Jets went into Mike Maccagnan’s first offseason as general manager in 2015 basically with a blank check book. With so much cap space, they were able to spend freely to upgrade the roster. Fast forward a year to today, and that is not the case as the Jets are close to the bottom of the available cap space list.
That has caused the Jets to have a quiet approach to free agency this season, as they just did not have the money to spend on bigger named free agents. It also hurt retaining some of their own players, as running back Chris Ivory and defensive lineman Damon Harrison landed monster contracts with the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Giants respectively.
Despite that, the Jets were still able to make some quality depth signings to fill out their roster, headlined by running back Matt Forte from the Chicago Bears. The biggest question remaining though is what will the Jets do at the quarterback position?
Currently, the position is bleak for the Jets. They have been unable to re-sign Ryan Fitzpatrick yet, as the Jets are playing hardball with their 2015 starting quarterback. After seeing what Sam Bradford landed from the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason, the Jets are cringing as they just do not have the space to give Fitzpatrick even $15 million annually.
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The question mark at quarterback leaves the Jets offseason in limbo, as it will be the deciding factor in making or breaking it. Over at ESPN, a panel of Bill Polian, Mark Dominik, Louis Riddick and Field Yates was put together to grade the NFL team’s offseasons thus far. The group gave the Jets a so-so grade of C, with the current quarterback situation as the deciding factor. Here is what they had to say:
"This grade is going to swing one way or the other based on how the Jets resolve their quarterback situation. Re-signing Ryan Fitzpatrick would stabilize the grade or push it higher. Losing Fitzpatrick over a couple million bucks would send the grade south."
Dominik also added that the current negotiations with Fitzpatrick are, “sending a message to the locker room that if we can take advantage of you, we will.” Those are harsh words, and while there may be some truth to them the Jets are smart to play hard ball with Fitzpatrick. He is a career journeyman and has yet to make the postseason in his career. Committing big money to a player like that would make little sense, and could potentially cripple the franchise for future seasons as well.
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But, the reality is that the Jets do not have many other options outside Fitzpatrick. He gives them their best chance at making a postseason run, as the other options are quite underwhelming at the quarterback position.