Fitzpatrick Says He's Happy The Ordeal Is Over, Glad To Rejoin Jets
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- At long last, Ryan Fitzpatrick is ready to get to work.
With the turmoil that engulfed his free agency experience finally behind him, the veteran quarterback joined the Jets on the field Thursday in Florham Park, New Jersey, as the team embarked on its first practice of training camp.
Fitzpatrick and the Jets ended their monthslong stalemate Wednesday night when the 33-year-old signal caller agreed to a one-year, $12 million guaranteed contract that could be worth as much as $15 million with incentives.
CBS2's Otis Livingston reported Brandon Marshall, Nick Mangold and Eric Decker couldn't hide their excitement Wednesday night after Fitzpatrick and the Jets came to terms.
Fitzpatrick told Livingston he was thankful for his teammates having his back.
"I think that was the one good thing when it was going on because it was a tough process. I wanted to be here, my kids were in school here," Fitzpatrick said. "Being 10 minutes away and not being able to come to the facility was tough, but the way that those guys had my back and some of the loyalty and faith that they put and showed in me, I thought it was awesome."
The deal appears to be a win for Fitzpatrick, who had scoffed at the team's reported three-year, $24 million offer that had been on the table for months, despite drawing very little interest from other teams. He said his time on the open market was stressful, but he's glad both he and the Jets finally have closure and can get down to the business at hand -- preparing for the 2016 season.
"It definitely was a long process. After coming to the realization that it wasn't going to get done right away and that it was going to take some time, I tried my best to put it out of my mind and tried to live life normally," Fitzpatrick told ESPN on Thursday morning. "But it was hard with people coming up to me and asking about the contract, people texting me. It was hovering ... looming over my head for five months. In the end, I'm happy the way it turned out."
Given a reported 7 p.m. deadline Wednesday to accept one of what were believed to be multiple revised offers, Fitzpatrick said he showed up at the team's facility with "one second to spare."
"As I walked in, I told Coach Bowles, 'Sorry I'm late,'" Fitzpatrick said, adding many of his teammates were literally shocked to see him.
"I didn't want to miss any camp time. That was really important to me. I really wanted to be at the first meeting. It went down to the wire, but I was happy to be in there," Fitzpatrick told ESPN.
Barring something unforeseen, Fitzpatrick will reassume his starting job as the Jets ready for a season that features a brutal schedule and high expectations. New York went 10-6 last year, but missed the playoffs after suffering a 22-17 loss in Buffalo in Week 17.
Fitzpatrick, who has often been labeled as nothing more than a journeyman quarterback, is coming off his best statistical season. Acquired in a trade from the Houston Texans in the spring of 2015, Fitzpatrick was initially brought in to be the backup, but was thrust into the starting role after Geno Smith suffered a broken jaw at the hands of a teammate during a preseason locker room fight.
Fitzpatrick stepped in and had the best statistical season by a Jets quarterback since Vinny Testaverde's magical 1998 season, throwing for a career-high 3,905 yards and a single-season franchise-record 31 touchdowns. Long criticized as an inaccurate passer susceptible to the turnover, Fitzpatrick threw just 15 interceptions last year.
He said he hopes to better all of those numbers.
"I've improved as a quarterback and I believe in the guys around me,"Fitzpatrick said. "I'm ready to get started."
Fitzpatrick said he hopes there is no animosity from the fans and that they understand that his contract squabble was just part of the business.
"All along, all I wanted was a fair and reasonable deal," he said. "That's all I wanted. I think this worked out for both sides."
The agreement between Fitzpatrick and the Jets means Smith will in all likelihood resume his role as the backup. The Jets also plan on seeing what their other two quarterbacks, second-year player Bryce Petty and rookie Christian Hackenberg, have to offer. It remains to be seen if the New York will carry four quarterbacks on its final 53-man roster.
The Jets blared the theme from "Welcome Back, Kotter" when Fitzpatrick took the field Thursday.