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FLORHAM PARK, N.J., June 2 (UPI) -- In a quarterback-needy league, the gunslinger is king. New York Jets free agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick knows he has leverage, as he sits at a stalemate with a team offering him a three-year, $24 million deal. But that weight is getting slim, as other teams have since drafted quarterbacks or signed fill-ins from other teams.
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Fitzpatrick, who has said he has all but given up on a multi-year deal, tells the New York Daily News' Gary Myers that he is willing to ink a one-year contract.
"The Daily News has learned Fitzpatrick is prepared to end his contract stalemate by letting the Jets know he will take a one-year deal for $12 million guaranteed," Myers reports. "It's the same money with the same guarantee the Jets are offering in the first year of their frontloaded three-year $24 million proposal that has backup money in the second and third year."
Myers reports that the Jets are being "stubborn" in its current offer, which pays Fitzpatrick a starter's wage in its first year, but lowballs him in its remainder.
Fitzpatrick, 33, threw a franchise-record 31 touchdown passes in 2015.
The Jets drafted some security in April's NFL Draft, as it selected Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg at No. 51 overall. But Fitzpatrick is a gritty veteran, who has more than 11 years of experience for the Jets, St. Louis Rams, Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, and Houston Texans.
