Fixing Fitz deal

One-year offer for $12M should work for both sides

I F YOU go back to New Year’s Day, the common perception about the upcoming negotiation between the Jets and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was expected to be an easy one. Both sides were open about wanting to get a deal done. What could go wrong? The expectation was the deal would be done by St. Patrick’s Day.

But, as you know, the game of Deal or No Deal between the Jets and Fitzpatrick still is no deal, and Memorial Day weekend wa s filled with reports about the Jets’ offer to Fitzpatrick and all of the implications from it.

The offer, according to sources, is for three years and $24 million, which could go up to $36 million with incentives. The deal includes $12 million in the first year, which seems like a fair number. The sticking point is the compensation in 2016 and 2017, which would be $6 million in each of those years.

You can understand why Fitzpatrick would be hesitant to sign that deal. What if he has another season like 2015 and throws for around 30 touchdowns? Then h locked into playing for $6 That makes no sense anteed. This would enable Fitzpatrick to play out 2016 and prove 2015 was no fluke, giving him earning power on the open market in 2017. If he has a g reat season, the Jets may want to bring him back on another one-year deal.

The Jets might balk at the idea of a one-year contract because they are left without a quarterback in 2017 if Christian Hackenberg or Bryce Petty still are not ready for the job. But they can’t get caught uup in 2017 right now. Fitzpatrick is the bbest option for the Jets in 2016. No one debates that. General manager Mike Maccagnan needs to get him in the building.

It is easy to say there is no reason for the Jets to alter their offer because he has nowhere else to go, but they should do it because the 2016 team is better with Fitzpatrick. The veteran quarterback is what this team needs to build off last year’s 10-6 season. He is the right guy in the locker room, the right guy n the field and a perfect mentor for kenberg and

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