Ryan Fitzpatrick has put up a “for rent” sign — and that could be a very bad sign for his chances of returning to the Jets.
The standoff between the Jets and Fitzpatrick grew more curious recently when the veteran quarterback gave up the lease on his palatial rental house near the team’s practice facility. The story first was reported by NJ.com on Tuesday.
Fitzpatrick and the Jets have been at odds since March, when the club offered the free agent a three-year, $24 million contract that included $12 million this season and $15 million guaranteed overall.
Fitzpatrick, who set the franchise record with 31 touchdown passes last season, has continued to decline that offer as below what he considers to be his market value — despite no other known suitors.
Fitzpatrick’s decision not to renew the lease and potentially to move his family out of the 7,200-square foot house in Chatham, N.J., he rented last season is another sign the two sides remain at a stalemate less than 10 days before the start of training camp.
The house, which includes eight bedrooms and four fireplaces, was put up for rent July 15 at $9,500 a month.
Fitzpatrick, who is from Gilbert, Ariz., was scheduled to participate in the America Century Championship golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Nev., this week along with numerous other celebrities, including fellow active NFL quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Alex Smith. The tournament started Tuesday and runs through Sunday.
The Jets continue to show little urgency in re-signing Fitzpatrick, even though the recent contract extension they gave defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson would make that task easier.
Wilkerson’s five-year, $86 million deal created an additional $5.7 million in room under the salary cap for the Jets, boosting their current space to $9.126 million, according to the NFL Players Association.
The Jets’ offer to Fitzpatrick includes $12 million guaranteed in 2016, so the team would have to create still more room to bring him back into the fold, sign first-round pick Darron Lee and still have a small cushion to use during the season in case of emergency.
Creating that space likely wouldn’t be a problem for general manager Mike Maccagnan, who could renegotiate the contracts of center Nick Mangold ($8.6 million cap figure this season) and wideout Eric Decker ($8 million).
Wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who has been outspoken about his desire to see the Jets bring back Fitzpatrick, said last weekend that Fitzpatrick has started ignoring his text messages.
“I don’t know what’s going on, bro,” Marshall told actor Michael Rapoport for a podcast. “To be honest, me and Fitz talk every day — like all the time. But I texted this dude the last two weeks, three times, and there’s no response.
“So the only thing that he can tell me right now to make it right is: ‘Hey, bro, I was out of the country,’ or ‘I was on vacation,’ ” Marshall added. “Because it’s not like him, so it’s scaring me right now. It’s scaring me that my guy hasn’t texted me back, when we FaceTime, we text, we call all the time.”
