The New York Jets have made it clear they fully intend to retain Ryan Fitzpatrick as the quarterback prepares to become a free agent this offseason. Fitzpatrick is not going to come cheap this time around after proving that he can still compete at a high level after a few down seasons, but the Jets sound prepared to give him what he is worth. However, what happens if Fitzpatrick is not re-signed? Could Colin Kaepernick be a realistic option?
According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, Kaepernick is seeking an exit from the San Francisco 49ers with the New York Jets as his favored landing spot. This idea has a few holes in it. First, the 49ers would rather trade Kaepernick rather than release him, but his $11.9 million in guaranteed money owed on April 1 make that difficult. Second, the Jets have expressed no interest in Kaepernick and are still fully committed to Fitzpatrick.
The Jets could take a look at Kaepernick only if Fitzpatrick heads elsewhere in free agency. General manager Mike Maccagnan told the media that the team is planning on using their franchise tag on Muhammad Wilkerson meaning if they do not meet the demands of Fitzpatrick then he heads elsewhere. Maccagnan wants a contract for the quarterback done quickly.
"I hope so," Fitzpatrick said, via ESPN.com. "I don't want to live with hypotheticals, but I had a lot of fun this year. It's the most fun I've ever had in a season, with the guys in this locker room and the run we had in December. Hopefully, I can be back and can continue to build on that. This is obviously a place I want to be, a place I'm comfortable with, but we'll see how everything goes."
The Jets could eye Kaepernick as a backup option. It is no secret the Jets have little confidence in Geno Smith while Bryce Petty is an unknown. However, a rookie quarterback is more suited for that role. NJ.com has reported the Jets showed a lot of interest in players like Carson Wentz, Kevin Hogan and Jake Coker at the Senior Bowl. They could be the likely targets instead of Kaepernick.
One player the Jets are almost guaranteed not to look at is Johnny Manziel. Despite the question marks about Fitzpatrick returning and the doubt in Smith, ESPN's Rich Cimini reports the Jets will not sign Manziel once he becomes available. The team would be much smarter chasing Brock Osweiler, Matt Moore or Chase Daniel if they want a free agent to add to the roster. Cimini even jokes that convincing Tim Tebow to return would be smarter than signing Manziel. The Jets would be smart to end all of the speculation and get a contract for Fitzpatrick done quickly