It started as inconspicuous as it could.
“The offensively challenged New York Jets made their second trade in less than a week, acquiring well-traveled quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick on Wednesday from the Houston Texans,” is what Rich Cimini’s blog update stated.
‘Well-traveled’ is probably a nicer phrase than “journeyman” which is probably a friendlier phrase than “average” or “boring” or “never-was”, but here he was, Ryan Fitzpatrick, traded for a nondescript, conditional 7th round pick.
He wasn’t even the most exciting trade by the Jets in those 24 hours. An earlier trade of a 5th round pick to the Chicago Bears for the mercurial Brandon Marshall was seen as the real score of the offseason. A wide receiver with a host of events in his past, but also 5 seasons of 100 catch totals that would immediately benefit the Jets beleaguered roster of “offensive weapons”.
Fitzpatrick, a Harvard graduate, if you haven’t heard, was being brought in to “compete” with the potentially potential-laden, but trending towards bust, West Virginia-alum Geno Smith, for the Jets’ starting QB spot.
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