New York Jets: Bart Scott Does Not Mince Words About Ryan Fitzpatrick
The New York Jets are at an impasse with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, and former linebacker Bart Scott did not hold back when providing his opinion on the situation.
The New York Jets have been in a stare down with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick all offseason. Fitzpatrick is looking to cash in on a career and franchise record season, but has yet to come to an agreement with the Jets, who are not interested in paying him as much as he wants.
It is a topic of discussion that seemingly everyone, including media and fans, has an opinion of. Fitzpatrick saw players, such as Sam Bradford, cash in despite having a less productive season so he wants his. But, the Jets have seen first hand what can happen when Fitzpatrick is handed a long term contract, as he imploded with the Buffalo Bills. Fitzpatrick also has a losing record in his career, going 43-61-1 during his 11 year career.
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Fitzpatrick is looking to make one last payday after a career year, which one no can fault him for. But, people still have their own opinions of the situation, and some are not overly positive. One of the people that are critical of the situation is former Baltimore Ravens and Jets’ linebacker Bart Scott.
Scott is now a member of the media, and he is not afraid to share his opinion on topics. He shared his feelings about the Fitzpatrick situation on SiruisXM NFL Radio, and he did not hold back.
"“Fitz don’t have a leg to stand on, man. He is who he is. You can have great teams and great records, but at this point, pretty much everybody knows who he is. He’s a quality guy. On another 20 teams in the league, he would be a backup. The only teams that he would start for are the teams that have bad quarterback situations. He’s a bridge guy, a glue guy.”"
Fitzpatrick set career highs across the board last season, throwing for 3,905 yards and 31 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. But, Fitzpatrick was unable to lead the Jets to the playoffs, which is the real barometer of success for a quarterback.
Fitzpatrick is looking to land a deal that will pay him between $14-16 million annually, which is right around what Bradford and Brock Osweiler got this offseason. Scott had an opinion on that as well.
"“You made a lot of money in this league,” Scott said of Fitzpatrick. “Now you can either try and play hardball and not have a team or [have] a tremendous situation to really change the trajectory of your career, so people can change the narrative about what they feel about Ryan Fitzpatrick as a quarterback. He has an opportunity to do that. But it ain’t about the money no more.“All these people are tripping about money and respect. Man, come on, man. It’s a lot of people out there that [are] underpaid and a lot of people that [are] overpaid. You had your opportunity when you had your leverage in Buffalo. You got paid, you took advantage of it. You don’t get to cash in twice, bro. It’s only 32 jobs. If you don’t take it, somebody will. One thing I know about the NFL is they will turn the page and move on.”"
The Jets are still saying that they would like to have Fitzpatrick back, and their actions this offseason back that up as they haven’t added a veteran to the mix to replace him. But, with three quarterbacks already on the roster, one of which was selected in the 2016 NFL Draft in Christian Hackenberg, the Jets have players to go to in case they cannot agree to a deal with Fitzpatrick.
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While Fitzpatrick would probably give the Jets their best chance at winning this season, they will not mortgage their future for a 33-year old quarterback with their quarterback of the future already on the roster.