The Ryan Fitzpatrick era may be over in New York, but as Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post points out, the Jets are still feeling the after-effects. Per Cannizzaro, Fitzpatrick’s contract automatically voided on Friday, per the scheduled clause that called for such action five days after the Super Bowl. But, because of the way his two-year deal was structured, New York will carry $5MM in dead money on the 2017 salary cap. Fitzpatrick almost assuredly will not return to Gang Green, and Geno Smith is a free agent as well, which means that the Jets now have two quarterbacks under contract — Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg — that are both severely lacking in NFL experience. As a result, the Jets have been speculatively connected to some of the better quarterback prospects in this year’s draft as well as veteran options that could become available.
Now for some more notes from the AFC East:
- Dolphins safety Reshad Jones, who missed the last 10 games of the 2016 season after a significant shoulder injury, has made a full recovery, Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald reports. Jones, who is entering the final year of his contract, indicated that he will be physically able to participate in the Dolphins’ offseason schedule.
- In the same piece, Beasley writes that Dolphins offensive lineman Jermon Bushrod, who will be an unrestricted free agent when the new league year begins in March, will return for an 11th NFL season if he gets the right offer. Bushrod played for the Saints for six years before joining the Bears prior to the 2013 campaign. The 2016 season was Bushrod’s first in Miami, and though he started all 16 regular season games plus the team’s one playoff contest, he largely struggled, ranking as Pro Football Focus’ fourth-worst guard out of 72 eligible players (subscription required).
- Ben Volin of the Boston Globe provides a list of 10 things he believes the Patriots should do this offseason, and he suggests that trading Jimmy Garoppolo should be one of New England’s top priorities. With Tom Brady showing no signs of aging, Volin believes the Pats need to do continue surrounding their starting quarterback with top-flight talent, and one way to do that is by acquiring at least one significant draft asset in exchange for Garoppolo.
- Another thing Volin thinks the Patriots should do is to re-sign running back LeGarrette Blount to a one-year, incentive-laden deal. After all, that approach worked well for both parties in 2016, as Blount turned his $760K salary into $1.75MM after hitting every incentive in his contract. He tallied career bests of 1,161 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns, and as Christopher Price of WEEI.com reports, the 30-year-old Blount would love to be back with the team in 2017, though he does not know what the future holds.
after that year, Blount should get more money if that’s what he wants
He should stay with the cheaters for less $$
With the cheaters lol. What a weak joke
That’s all they can say bro. What are they gonna say, “Wow our team is mismanaged, our coaching staff plays checkers while they play Chess, our player are that good. Man we suck!” It so much nicer to think and say,”They cheat. That’s why they’ve beat us for 15 years.”
Way to dismiss the obvious reasons the pats are nationally known as the cheaters. Where shall we begin?
How about that video board the team erected across the street that allowed their entire sideline to see replays that the other team couldn’t see. In sure that was done with sportsmanship in mind.
How about the documented cases of the pats cutting the headsets out for both teams after linking up several plays. (In all fairness they learned this one from Bill Walsh and the late 80s 49ers.)
How about the multiple times Brady has been accused of letting air out of footballs? I know, in Boston the commissioner 8s a boogeyman who is out to get the wonderful patriots, and “other teams must do it too”… yeah, keep telling yourselves that.
There are many more reasons why the patriots are know nationally as the cheaters, living in denial doesn’t change reality for the rest of us.
if i’m a fan of a trash team, i wish my team were cheating and winning as consistently as the pats. I’m not a patriots fan, but there doing something right if brady has 5 rings
first off board or not every team has access to replays. secondly the headset item has happened at every stadium. crowd noise also effects headsets it’s why teams have hand signals. yes the patriots have been accused of many things and maybe some are valid arguments but many of the items that they’ve been accused of are things all teams do or have done.
Go away troll. Cry somewhere else. Oh and for the record I live a stones throw from Gillette Stadium. You can’t see the so called screen from anywhere inside the stadium. Which is why Goodell didnt slam them with another over the top penalty, which BTW is why we hate him.
Alex…….you need a safe space?
Playing with deflated balls has not proven to be an advantage. Maybe (maybe!) it helps the QB a little bit by allowing them to get an easier grip, but it doesn’t make it harder or easier for his receivers (or the defense at that point) to catch the ball. The Patriots were cheaters (Spygate) but that was years ago. The Falcons pumped artificial noise into their stadium (which was a year or two go, but thats also cheating as it makes it harder to hear), but no one mentions them.
I don’t concede that they ever cheated. Spygate was about a memorandum misunderstanding of where you could place a camera and had nothing to do with how many games the Patriots won including the Super Bowl which sent the Rams packing !
Wow I will bet you voted for Clinton! Then when she lost you swore on a stack of Bibles that the Patriots hacked into the voting machines and changed the outcome of the election!
*Aren’t
Link to the Boston Globe piece actually directs to Pro Football Focus, not the article mentioned.
Hearing people call the Patriots cheaters is getting really old.
NO DAYS OFF!
AlexanderManuu is obviously a Yankees and a Jets fan! Cheating? Let’s see, The Rams of the 90’s (the greatest show on turf) has just come out and said that they had filmed other teams practices during the 90’s! Almost all other teams have also filmed other teams practices! Just admit as Pedro Martinez would say” the Patriots are your Daddy”!