They really should make an effort to do this ASAP. Lock him up now. There are a few teams that need a QB at least in the short term, Fitz has proven he can quickly learn these offenses. He may not be the greatest ever but could provide an immediate boost to a team with the right talent. I wouldn't be surprised if he left for the right money. Unless they've got someone lined up they think can start I would ink the deal ASAP.
Good post. I was going to say that Fitz is in a very good situation here, and would take less to stay, but you're right: GM's know he IS capable of quickly adapting to new schemes and personnel. He's extremely well-liked, and he's only getting savvier. If you're only missing a smart QB who galvanizes a locker room? Hard to put a price on that.
Fitz could probably get more money elsewhere, but if he has dreams of a ring, the Jets are his best chance. There's a lot of talented players on both sides of the ball here. I don't know if there is another team in need of a QB, that is as well built. We're better with him, he's better with us.
Could anyone see a team like Denver making a play for Fitz? I think he's clearly better than Osweiler and would give them a much better shot at a repeat chamionship. Agree with the OP: lock him up now. A 2 year/$16 million contract should do it.
no way. They'd have to be pretty stupid to let a kid like Osweiler, whom they've groomed, who is young with a lot of upside, go, for a flawed veteran like Fitzpatrick on purpose. That would be really, really stupid of them. now if they screw up and lose Osweiler in FA... say Manning takes forever to make up his mind and they are in a contract standstill with both him and Von Miller, and some team steps in and offers Osweiler way too much... and they end up screwed. Then I could see them being forced to look at Sam Bradford or Fitzpatrick. Fitzptracik isn't even a good fit for what Kubiak likes to run anyway.
We don't know what his thought process is, does he take less with us even if another team offers more, or is he a business man and goes to the money? I agree we need to lock him up and continue to build on what we did last year.
Good post. I meant in general a team with a good surrounding cast that needs a push in the QB department to go to the next level. Denver may not have interest but I bet other teams will. Lock him up.
It all comes down to $$$. While it was great to finally have a competent QB this year, Fitz has been notoriously inconsistent in his career. My biggest fear is Buffalo redux, i.e. he earns himself a huge contract & regresses, especially with a tougher schedule next year. What's his market value? I saw one article recently stating $18mil per year. That won't happen, but how much is too much? If you slot him in as roughly the 20th ranked QB, you're looking at about $13mil per average. Get up to the 16th QB, and we're looking at $17mil average. If we want him on a relatively short deal with low guarantees, the average salary will have to be that much higher. If he's looking for a deal averaging 8 figures, I'd strongly consider letting him walk & taking the compensatory pick.
Really good post. With Manning 99% retiring, the Broncos will NEVER enter the season with 'just' Osweiler under center. Denver will most certainly be looking for a Vet to compete with and back him up. Exactly what we brought Fitz in for, to compete with and back up Geno Smith. Denver will be in the exact same situation and could very well put out feelers for Fitzpatrick, who's an unrestricted free agent.
I still think Denver would benefit from upgrading from Osweiler. I get that the organization has been grooming him, but he faltered down the stretch and was replaced by Manning, the worst QB in the NFL this year. Denver needs to win now with that behemoth of a defense. Their window is maybe another year or two at max. History shows that an it's extremely difficult to maintain a historically good defense like what they had this year. The Broncos would be foolish not to explore other options. Osweiler has hardly proven he's The Guy. Other potential teams that I could see having Fitz interest: the Eagles, Rams, Browns, maybe even the Texans (again).
Denver perhaps but I doubt it. They groomed osweiler under manning. If they want to add a backup I doubt it will be someone in the discussion of being a better option. You said teams that need a nudge to go next level. None of those teams are a nudge away from a next level. And the Texans just traded him away for nothing and have the same coaching staff so that won't happen. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I understand everyone wanting a deal done yesterday but why would fitz not wait till at least the legal tampering period to find out his demand and price point? Even if he wants to stay no matter what, he is going to want to know. His agents would be doing him a disservice if they let him sign now. Cue the announcement saying he re signed in 3 2 1......
I could be wrong but I think teams can re-sign their own free agents right up to the point that free agency begins on March 9th this year. The Jets still could potentially franchise Fitzpatrick if they wanted too until March 1st. So the negotiating window with your own free agents must extend up to that point? Again, I could be wrong on this.
No, one month before everyone can talk to him. Right now we have exclusive rights and are free to negotiate
If I was the Broncos, I would go after Fitzpatrick. Sanders and Thomas are good WR's. They have a good running game, and of course an amazing defense. Fitz was better than Manning or Osweiler this year. The good news for the Jets is Fitz has already been on so many teams, loves the Jets, and had his most fun year of his career in 2015. I think he stays.
Brock Osweiler is going to be the Broncos QB. They gave the job back to Peyton Manning because he had experience in post-season runs and they really wanted to win the Super Bowl this year in the last year of the window they built around him. You don't keep a Hall of Famer on the bench if he can play at the end of the year. If he'd been Drew Bledsoe it would have been a tougher call. Bledsoe was 0-2 when he went down early in the season in 2001. Peyton was 7-2 when he went down.
