Someone finally broke the cycle. After months of back and forth, either Fitz caved or the Jets did. From the contract offer, looks like Fitzy did, as this is the same contract offered earlier this year but with slightly less. The Geno Smith era must continue to wait.

I’m torn on whether I think this is good for the Jets or not. On one hand, I have little to no faith in Geno Smith. The past few months of deadlock started to warp the minds of Jets fans into thinking Geno was the answer all along. I saw all sorts of rationalization going on. Geno was beating Fitz out in camp last season! Geno didn’t have any weapons his one full year, maybe he can work with the Jets roster now! Fitz is actually overrated! I only agree with one of those things, and it’s that Fitz is overrated.

The reports that Geno was beating Fitz out in camp last year I take with heavy salt. First off, training camp “reports” are pretty much bogus. It’s the one time of the year when everything is ridiculously positive. Everybody “Looks great” and everyone is “Excited to see these players in real action”, yadda yadda yadda. It’s a time of hype. Beat writers don’t want to depress the fans. Teams hide their flaws to better project the image, and the media at large isn’t interested enough yet to start doing the usual negative crap. Also, Fitz was brought onto the Jets last season as a second option. Geno was understood as the future. Of course they are gonna want to boost Geno, at least until he broke his jaw. For a guy who was “beat out” in camp, the Jets had a pretty easy time keeping Fitz the starter even as Geno came back healthy.

It’s true Geno didn’t have much to work with his first year. It didn’t stop him from being possibly the worst starter in the league. His second year he had Erik Decker, but a lame duck coach and poor play resulted in his benching several times. Last year he got punched in the face. So it’s true Geno hasn’t been put in the best position to succeed, but outside one game against the dumb Dolphins, he also hasn’t shown he can be much more than a perpetual backup. This is a win now league, the sport no longer has the patience to develop iffy players like Smith. Players who might be good if put in the exact right scenario, scenarios that require time and patience that owners and fans no longer have. Geno needs to be at the level of a Tannehill to get genuine development time, and he’s not there. Honestly it’s the same reason Tebow washed out. Tebow needed time, Tebow needed the right team built around him to enhance his positives. The NFL doesn’t offer that time, and he wasn’t good enough at current football in the interim to justify the investment. It sucks, but them’s the breaks. I believe every player can succeed and excel if given the right situation. But for the most part, it’s not worth the effort, and a player who can excel in multiple situations is inherently more valuable.

The bummer part for the Jets is that Fitz really isn’t that much of an upgrade. He’s a better QB. He’s smarter. He’s got better facial hair. But he’s never led a team to the playoffs. He’s never flourished under countless chances as being a long term”the Man”. Fitz’s career is a disturbing cycle, and soon the Jets may find out he sucks. So was it a good idea to drop Fitz, the best QB option they have, and hope Geno somehow puts it all together? Or roll it and hope Fitz can build off his chemistry? I think a one year deal is a good move for the Jets. Fitz can’t be comfortable, but he will have a chance to take this stacked roster to playoff contention.