ESPN -- It's starting to look as if the Ryan Fitzpatrick situation won't be resolved until the No. 1 domino in the quarterback market falls -- Colin Kaepernick. That could go all the way to the draft, but the first pressure point is April 1.
If he's still on the San Francisco 49ers' roster, his $11.9 million salary becomes guaranteed, although that wouldn't preclude them from trying to trade him.If Kaepernick is traded to the Denver Broncos, it crushes what little leverage Fitzpatrick has.
The Broncos are thought to be the only team not named the Jets that has a level of interest in him. If Kaepernick lands somewhere else, perhaps the Cleveland Browns, it improves Fitzpatrick's bargaining position. No matter what happens, I still think he ends up with the Jets.
Ryan's hope: Fitzpatrick wants to cash in on his career season, and you can't blame him, especially with some of the crazy money being thrown around for mediocre quarterbacks. I mean, $18 million-a-year for Brock Osweiler?
That's a bit rich for a quarterback with seven starts. At the same time, Osweiler is an outlier. Under the current collective bargaining agreement, in place since 2011, only four quarterbacks have changed teams and received more than $10 million guaranteed, according to ESPN Stats & Information. They are Osweiler ($37 million), Peyton Manning ($18 million), Chase Daniel ($12 million) and Matt Flynn ($10 million).
If he's still on the San Francisco 49ers' roster, his $11.9 million salary becomes guaranteed, although that wouldn't preclude them from trying to trade him.If Kaepernick is traded to the Denver Broncos, it crushes what little leverage Fitzpatrick has.
The Broncos are thought to be the only team not named the Jets that has a level of interest in him. If Kaepernick lands somewhere else, perhaps the Cleveland Browns, it improves Fitzpatrick's bargaining position. No matter what happens, I still think he ends up with the Jets.
Ryan's hope: Fitzpatrick wants to cash in on his career season, and you can't blame him, especially with some of the crazy money being thrown around for mediocre quarterbacks. I mean, $18 million-a-year for Brock Osweiler?
That's a bit rich for a quarterback with seven starts. At the same time, Osweiler is an outlier. Under the current collective bargaining agreement, in place since 2011, only four quarterbacks have changed teams and received more than $10 million guaranteed, according to ESPN Stats & Information. They are Osweiler ($37 million), Peyton Manning ($18 million), Chase Daniel ($12 million) and Matt Flynn ($10 million).