It’s easy to forget now that there was a time when the New York Jets fanbase – and even some players – were being critical of management’s refusal to give Ryan Fitzpatrick whatever he wanted.
Now, Fitzpatrick’s job is in danger. But Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan doesn’t have any regrets about how things went.
“We’re obviously disappointed by the season in terms of the record,” Maccagnan said, via Darryl Slater of NJ.com. “Based on the season [Fitzpatrick] had prior to this season, he was very instrumental in a lot of our success in the 10-6 season. I have no regrets about bringing Ryan back. I think going into it, we felt very good about the season Ryan had previously.
“I have no regrets from that standpoint. Of course, I think everybody, and Ryan included, would probably say he holds himself to a fairly high standard. I’m sure there are aspects that he would like to … we all would like to have better success on the field as a team. But from the standpoint of bringing Ryan back, no, I don’t have regrets on that.”
The Jets were criticized heavily for their reluctance to pay Fitzpatrick – a reluctance that lasted a while. The Fitzpatrick of 2016 hasn’t been anywhere near the one that almost led the Jets to a playoff berth the season before. The only good news is, under the terms of the agreed deal, Fitzpatrick will be long gone after the season. The bad news for the Jets is that his $5 million cap hit won’t be.
