New York Jets receivers Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker are letting free agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick know they want him back in 2016.
In the 2015 season, the New York Jets found themselves just one game from making the playoffs for the first time since 2010. Much of that success came from a passing game that clicked, with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick finding receivers Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker to form a bond that succeeded on the field.
As the 2016 season inches closer and closer, it doesn’t look like the free agent Fitzpatrick will be resigning with the Jets any time soon. After the best statistical season of his career (over 3,900 yards and 31 touchdowns), Fitzpatrick’s contract wishes and the deals offered by the team seem to be far apart and not getting any closer.
As his teammates reported for off-season work on Monday, Decker told the Wall Street Journal that both he and Marshall contacted the signal caller saying they want things to stay the same in their lineup:
"Shortly after the Jets reported for their off-season program on Monday, receivers Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall sent the quarterback a video message making it clear that they want him to return the team.“I love Fitzpatrick,” Decker said of the video. “Would love to get to work with him if he is going to be the quarterback of this team.”“Brandon and I today were joking around,” Decker said. “We were watching tape of last year, scouting ourselves throughout this phase and just kind of talking about what we can do better. What we can correct. [We] were kind of just messing with him. Sent out a video saying we need to work on these things. Intriguing him to come back, obviously.”"
At this point in the off-season, the options are starting to dwindle for the Jets if Fitzpatrick isn’t the man who will be under center next season for the team. If the team is unable to make a trade and chooses not to pick a quarterback in the draft or go with one of the others on their roster already, Fitzpatrick may just end up getting the money he wants, and the Jets will have to swallow their pride.
For both of the Jets’ top receivers, a repeat of 2015 statistically (Marshall with 1502 yards and 14 TD’s, Decker with 1027 yards and 10 TD’s) is the main reason why they want Fitzgerald back under center when the team opens their 2016 season on September 11th against the Cincinnati Bengals.
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