New York Jets: Muhammad Wilkerson Deal Helps Ryan Fitzpatrick

After the New York Jets and defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson came to a long-term contract agreement, should we expect quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to sign next?

The NFL deadline to sign franchise-tagged players to long-term deals has passed with a pleasant surprise for New York Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Wilkerson signed a five-year, $85 million extension:

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ESPN’s Rich Cimini opened the curtain on the behind the scenes happenings, which led to the Jets defensive end signing a new deal:

"On Wednesday night, the Jets e-mailed a proposal that intrigued Wilkerson’s camp. They offered a five-year contract; Wilkerson had been seeking a six-year deal, but he was willing to consider five years the numbers made sense. Even then, an agreement didn’t seem likely.At 3:15 a.m. Friday, nearly 13 hours before the deadline, the Jets e-mailed a revised offer. That prompted a full day of negotiating. An agreement was reached only minutes before 4 p.m"

It’s funny how the ball starts rolling when there’s a deadline in place.

Now, how does Wilkerson’s deal help quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick?

According to Cimini, the Jets have added flexibility to sign the 33-year-old quarterback to a one-year deal:

"The Jets had only $3.4 million in cap space before the Wilkerson contract, but that should grow by a few million because they no longer have to carry his bloated franchise tag ($15.7 million). The Jets haven’t been keen on the idea of a one-year deal; perhaps this changes things"

As Cimini states, the Jets need to have a change of heart on the contract parameters to bring Fitzpatrick back for another year. However, with added cap space for the upcoming season, it’s an idea to revisit to keep last year’s 10-win team together.

At this point, it’s unlikely Fitzpatrick signs anywhere else, pending a training camp injury forcing a team to scour the free-agent wire for a capable fill-in starter.

Before that scenario happens, the Jets should reach out to Fitzpatrick with a formidable one-year pact. It makes more than enough sense for a quarterback who’s 33 years old and already on the retirement couch.

Again, deadlines help facilitate deals, and there’s no hard date for Fitzpatrick to rejoin the team. Right before the activity layoff, head coach Todd Bowles refrained from drawing a line in the sand for Fitzpatrick.

However, as time progresses quarterback Geno Smith slowly etches his name in pen as a starter on paper.

In the NFL, continuity holds value. Though, Fitzpatrick stepped in last August to replace Smith after an off-field incident with former teammate and current Buffalo Bills linebacker IK Enemkpali.

Fitzpatrick and the front office would likely need to come to an agreement before the third preseason game when starters get the most snaps in a regular-season dress rehearsal. A soft deadline for early August still allows general manager Mike Maccagnan and Fitzpatrick to mull over their stance on the contract standoff for four to five weeks.

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Maybe the Jets feel Fitzpatrick benefited from a better cast around him?

In 2014, Smith’s top two wideouts were Eric Decker and Jeremy Kerley. In the following season, Fitzpatrick walked into a situation with wideout Brandon Marshall and Decker as the No. 2 option. Do you see the difference here?

It’s possible Maccagnan rolls the dice on Smith on a contract year and leaves Fitzpatrick on the couch. If not, the front office could roll out a one-year contract offer to a quarterback coming off his best season but stands without a playoff appearance on his resume.