The New York Jets and veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick have been locked in a stalemate throughout the offseason, with Fitzpatrick likely looking for a big contract within range of the monster deal signed by Brock Osweiler, and the Jets likely looking to re-sign the 33-year-old at a more reasonable rate.
Complicating things is that the Jets have other options, including younger quarterbacks Geno Smith and Bryce Petty, and they could take a swing in the draft. Plus, there’s Brian Hoyer, who started nine games last year in Houston but was released by the Texans a month after they signed Osweiler to that huge deal.
Per Newsday, Hoyer met with the Jets on Tuesday. Might he be more than a pawn? The supply and demand dynamics are definitely shifting out of Fitzpatrick’s favor, especially since Hoyer is three years younger and posted a higher completion percentage, a higher yards-per-attempt average, a higher passer rating and a better touchdown-to-interception ratio while helping the Texans get to the playoffs with a division title in 2015.
Hoyer was due to make only $4 million with Houston, so it’s probably safe to assume he’d be willing to take something within that range in order to play with a similar AFC team. At the very least, this should force Fitzpatrick to budge on whatever number he’s been giving Gang Green. Otherwise, this’ll be a no-brainer for the Jets and the Harvard product will be forced to wait well into the spring before signing somewhere. Hell, he might even have to take a backup role or wait for an injury somewhere, and the money wouldn’t likely be much better anyway.
The thing is, with all things equal financially, Hoyer might simply be a better option for the Jets. Again, he’s younger and coming off a relatively strong season. Sure, he crashed and burned in his final appearance, turning the ball over five times in a blowout wild-card loss to the Chiefs. But let’s remember that Fitzpatrick also finished the season in implosive fashion, throwing three interceptions in the final 10 minutes of a close do-or-die game against the Buffalo Bills, costing his team a chance to punch a ticket to the playoffs.
Maybe it’s a lose-lose, but it’s possible Hoyer is the lesser of two evils.
