The New York Jets went 10-6 last year, but the knuckle sandwich is coming.
New York deserves better, but it isn’t going to get it.
The Jets have not reached the playoffs since the second year of the Mark Sanchez experience, all the way back in 2009. Since then, the team has made a litany of poor choices in both the draft and free agency, and now finds itself staring at another horrendous offseason.
After going 10-6 with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm, New York appeared on the incline. Now, suddenly, the Jets are headed for the Hudson. New York has refused to pay Fitzpatrick the going rate for a starting quarterback in today’s NFL, all while barely negotiating with its best player in defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson.
The result? Fitzpatrick remains a free agent, Geno Smith looks to be the starting quarterback with competition from Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg, and Wilkerson will in all likelihood sit out a good chunk of the regular season barring a shocking deal before the July 15 deadline.
General manager Mike Maccagnan has to find a way to sign Fitzpatrick, but he’s strapped for cash. The Jets only have $3.076 million in cap space, nowhere near enough to bring the Harvard alum back into the fold. The cap number would be considerably better if Wilkerson was signed to a long-term deal, making his cap hit go from the franchise tag number of $15.7 million to approximately half that.
New York won’t be winning a Super Bowl regardless of the next week and how it unfolds, but with Fitzpatrick and Wilkerson, competing in the AFC East is a possibility. Without them, good night.