New York Jets: Todd Bowles Looks Toward Future at Quarterback

The Fitzpatrick Success Cycle

“Those Who Ignore History Are Doomed to Repeat It,” said philosopher George Santayana.

The above quote doesn’t condemn Bowles, but general manager Mike Maccagnan had to see this quarterback switch as a possibility when he inked Fitzpatrick to a one-year, $12 million deal.

Sure, the bearded wonder achieved career-highs in touchdown passes (31) and passing yards (3,905), but where could he possibly go from there? Through his 12-year career, Fitzpatrick has shown no signs of improvement after a decent campaign. There’s a reason journeyman signal-caller bounced around the league. He’s not a franchise quarterback. At this point, he’s not an even a decent stopgap option for an entire season.

Although Bowles says he could place Fitzpatrick back under center as the starter, going backward doesn’t make any sense. Right now, the Jets need to think one step ahead or one season in advance.

Who’s going to start at quarterback in 2017? It’s certainly not going to be Fitzpatrick, which means there’s no reason to turn back to him this season.

Bowles won’t say this publicly, but he’s also made this personnel move to begin his quarterback search for the next year, and it starts in-house with Smith.

The Jets head coach allowed Fitzpatrick enough time to revert to his productive form, and he fell flat. The journeyman signal-caller turns 34 in November, and there’s no future for him with the Jets.

It seems like just yesterday when reporters put out an all-points bulletin (APB) for Fitzpatrick when he allowed the lease on his New Jersey home expire. Some fans pined for his return. Now, they’re ready to run him out of town.