BIG MAC MOVE
Took long enough, but GM is late compromiser
Our long national nightmare is over thanks to some better-late-thannever flexibility by Mike Maccagnan. The Jets’ six-month contract impasse with Ryan Fitzpatrick that concluded Wednesday with a one-year, $12 million deal (with incentives that could push it to $15 million) was largely avoidable, but both sides can exit this oddest of negotiations with some measure of satisfaction. It was a fair compromise given the unusual dynamics at play for a franchise hoping to build for the future without sacrificing the present. The Jets are in winnow and win-later mode, so the notion that they didn’t need the 33-year-old Fitzpatrick this season was always preposterous. Maccagnan publicly praised Fitzpatrick after the season and professed his desire to bring him back as the undisputed starter only to present him with second-rate offer(s) behind the scenes. He showed no sense of urgency — with no expressed hard deadline — over the past six months.
He ultimately gave in to Fitzpatrick’s desire for a 1-year, $12 million deal (reported by the Daily News in June) after Fitzpatrick balked at their 3-year, $24 million offer during free agency. Fitzpatrick preferred a multi-year deal with more guaranteed money. The Jets preferred to give him $8 or $9 million if they were going to strike a one-year pact.
Neither side got exactly what they wanted, but both sides got what they needed, a true indication that this was a fair and reasonable solution. From Darrelle Revis to Eric Decker to Brandon Marshall, who posted a picture with Fitzpatrick on Instagram a little more than 24 hours before the start of training camp, for God’s sakes, the players’ message had been clear: Bring Back the Beard.
Maccagnan chose to ignore those voices, trying to win a fight that wasn’t worth fighting. It never made sense to drag out these negotiations for the team leader at the helm of the most prolific offense in franchise history.
The team brain trust knew that “overpaying” by a few million dollars wouldn’t cripple their present or future financial structure. They chose to play hard ball with Fitzpatrick. Sure, the Jets accurately judged the league’s interest level in