Lichtenstein: A Way To Break The Standoff Between Jets, Fitzpatrick
By Steve Lichtenstein
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The New York Jets need a starting quarterback this season. They may even need one in 2017.
Ryan Fitzpatrick wants to be an NFL starting quarterback. Based on the inactivity during the early free agency wooing period, no other team seems to think he should be.
If only dating sites had it this easy.
Of course, in this case the obstacle to true love is money. Fitzpatrick, as is his right, wants to be paid at his perceived fair value. The Jets, who have a salary cap to manage, don't feel any pressure to bid against themselves.
Well, maybe both sides are feeling a little pressure, which explains the leaks from both camps over the last week.
After nearly five months in the stalemate, the Jets let out to the media Friday that their best offer -- a three-year, $24 million contract — has been on the table for months. It included $12 million in cash for the 2016 season, which, according to ESPN, would rank 21st in the league for the position.
That seems about right for a marginal quarterback who will turn 34 years old in November. Fitzpatrick may have had a career year (3,905 yards passing, 31 touchdowns) last season, but even that wasn't good enough to get his team to his first postseason game. His 16-of-37, three-interception performance in the finale in Buffalo soured the sweet taste of the 10 victories over mostly weak opponents in the prior 15 games.
MORE: Palladino: Fitzpatrick Must Be Realistic And Sign Jets' Offer
Still, Fitzpatrick has a fair point when he emphasized that the final two seasons of the proposal, which would reportedly pay him $6 million per season (with only $3 million guaranteed), would leave him severely underpaid if he again outperformed his contract.
That is why Fitzpatrick had a source float to the Daily News on Wednesday that he would be willing to accept a one-year, $12 million deal.
Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan shouldn't bite. However, he has room to break the standoff, and Fitzpatrick's leak could be used to turn the tables back in the Jets' favor.
What if Maccagnan upped the base salary in years two and three, but dropped the guarantee?
It is assumed that the Jets' plan is to turn the keys over to either Bryce Petty or Christian Hackenberg —Maccagnan's fourth- and second-round selections, respectively, in the past two NFL drafts — at some point.
If, at the end of the 2016 season, that plan is accelerated, then it doesn't matter if Fitzpatrick is due $6 million or $60 million in each of the ensuing years. He will be cut before his next paycheck.
For Fitzpatrick, he will have received his $12 million in cash, and he will be free after this season to shop for another job, which would leave him in the same position as if he signed for one year.
For Maccagnan, he needs Fitzpatrick to sign for multiple seasons so the Jets can prorate any signing bonus over the contract's lifetime for salary cap purposes. The amount of the offered signing bonus hasn't been confirmed.
If Fitzpatrick is cut after this season, the Jets would have to book the unused portion of the bonus against the 2017 cap as dead money, but it at least delays some of the pain that would come with trying to fit $12 million into the cap this year.
The Jets have just $3.1 million in cap space, according to OverTheCap.com, and that's before accounting for unsigned first-round draft pick Darron Lee. As the 20th overall selection, Lee will potentially earn $10.2 million (with a $5.6 million signing bonus) over the next four years.
So let's use the Daily News' example of a $9 million signing bonus for Fitzpatrick. Of the $12 million cash he would reap, only $6 million ($3 million salary plus $3 million prorated signing bonus) would count toward the Jets' 2016 cap.
If Fitzpatrick is dropped after this season, the remaining $6 million (reduced by $3 million when the guarantee was eliminated) of the signing bonus would be forced onto 2017's cap. The Jets could also still potentially spread out that cap hit between 2017 and 2018 if Fitzpatrick were designated as a post-June 1 cut next year.
In return, Fitzpatrick should be offered at least $10 million in subsequent years as insurance that he will continue to be paid at the level of a starting quarterback should the Jets concur after this season. At that point, the Jets could attempt to restructure those payments (salary versus signing bonus) over future years to minimize the cap hits.
The resulting three-year, $32 million deal would be a win-win. With incentives (though, thanks to Fitzpatrick's performance last season, they won't be easy to reach), the final number could be higher. The Jets get their quarterback without gutting their roster, and Fitzpatrick saves a little face under his big beard.
The odds are that the two will part ways after this season. As I've noted in past posts, the breaks (schedule, injuries, etc.) went mostly the Jets' way last year, and it still didn't yield a playoff berth.
I expect that Fitzpatrick will again leave his heart on the field, but his limitations (arm strength, decision-making) will be far more noticeable this go-round.
Unfortunately, true love sometimes comes with an expiration date.
For a FAN's perspective of the Nets, Jets and the NHL, follow Steve on Twitter @SteveLichtenst1
