The New York Jets have looked to the Game of Thrones cast in search of a quarterback for the 2016-17 season.
Wait a minute, that's not Tormund, leader of the Wildlings. It's Ryan Fitzpatrick, and he's back with New York under a one year, $12 million guaranteed contract per Bleacher Report's Timothy Rapp.
Fitz is back
It's about time the Jets and Fitzpatrick reached an agreement because he was one of, if not, the biggest reason the Jets were looking up to be a quality team this season.
Fitpatrick broke a team record with 31 touchdown passes in a season, and further established his role as one of the Jets' best quarterbacks with a QBR of 63.6 with a career-high 3,905 passing yards.
He's, without a doubt, surpassed the likes of Mark Sanchez with his performances last season. Geno Smith would be the only other quarterback to compare Fitzpatrick to, but that wouldn't be fair to Smithm given he's only been with New York for three seasons and was essentially non-existent once Fitzpatrick came to play. Smith is reportedly "pissed off" about the situation, which should be expected when he thought he'd get the chance to start and produce for the Jets for a change. Though this could put a damper on the Jets' relationship with Smith, the Fitzpatrick deal still has a lot of potential to further improve the Jets as an organization.
Pros of the signing
As stated, Fitzpatrick provided one of the most successful seasons but a Jets quarterback, which alone testifies to his usefulness and potential to better himself, and the team, in coming season(s).
On a more technical level, one must realize that Fitzpatrick has helped establish a winning culture in the Jets' franchise. He developed strong chemistry with his offensive team. In particualr, wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker helped Fitzpatrick form a hard hitting trio in the offensive set.
Both Marshall and Decker recorded close to career-high statistics across the board with Fitzpatrick as their primary quarterback, which points to the very effective system that the Jets were able to put into play this season. Fitzpatrick's connection to Marshall and Decker is secured again for another season, which should allow the Jets to keep their momentum up following a disappointing end to the 2015-16 season.
Cons of the signing
There weren't too many negatives to Fitzpatrick's game this past season, so there is not much evidence to negate his positives. However, one issue might be his ability to fight through tough situations in the closing of the season.
The Jets were a win away from securing a playoff berth, but Fitzpatrick under-performed in the game against the Buffalo Bills, resulting in a crushing end to the season for the Jets. If Fitzpatrick is able to bring as much success to the Jets this season and can truly bring them past the plateau they reached last season, there leaves some question as to whether or not his offensive game is strong enough to ignite a playoff push for New York.
Football season is near, so only time can tell.