Can Ryan Fitzpatrick Truly Help Elevate the Jets to 'Win-Now' Mode?

With the quarterback market producing one ugly contract after another, the New York Jets probably didn't need to think twice about adding a familiar face at a bargain price.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the suddenly "win-now" Jets continued their roster makeover Wednesday, dealing a conditional late-round draft pick to the Houston Texans in exchange for quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

The 32-year-old has experience in the AFC East and a history with new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, and he arrives in New York on a deal worth only $3.25 million next season. The Jets arguably just made the most sensible quarterback acquisition of the offseason so far. The combination of fit and price makes it hard to beat. 

In a perfect world, Fitzpatrick probably wouldn't start a game for the Jets next season. But coming off a vastly underrated campaign in Houston, he still fits well into New York's offseason model of building a roster to compete right away in 2015. 

The club has already made massive changes in the last few months, overhauling the coaching staff and adding big names such as Brandon Marshall and Darrelle Revis. The wheeling-and-dealing Jets will be expected to significantly improve in the win column next season. 

There should be no sulking about the price of this move. A conditional late-round pick in 2016 is a small price to pay for a potential starting quarterback, especially one with a contract as attractive as Fitzpatrick's. While teams such as the Texans, Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles spent good money to acquire borderline starters at the position, the Jets now have Fitzpatrick on a one-year deal that would cost New York nothing to eliminate. 

	Team	Length	Value
J. McCown	CLE	3 years	$14.0M
M. Sanchez	PHI	2 years	$9.0M
B. Hoyer	HOU	2 years	$10.5M
R. Mallett	HOU	2 years	$7.0M
S. Hill	MIN	2 years	$6.5M

Of course, the addition is no ticket to the postseason. 

Even with Fitzpatrick on board, the Jets' best chance at making the playoffs in 2015 probably revolves around incumbent starter Geno Smith's development. The two will likely battle for the starting gig in August. 

If Smith emerges as the Week 1 starter, Fitzpatrick would still slot in as the ideal backup. 

He spent four years inside the division with the Buffalo Bills, starting all but three games over his final three seasons. Those 45 starts came under Gailey, who was head coach in Buffalo from 2010 to 2012. If anyone knows his system inside and out, it's the Jets' new quarterback. 

Fitzpatrick was streaky but productive under Gailey. While the Bills won just 16 games during his starts, Fitzpatrick still completed over 60 percent of his passes, averaged almost 230 passing yards per game and threw 71 touchdowns against 54 interceptions.  

At the very least, he will be a massive upgrade over Michael Vick, who was a train wreck as the Jets' No. 2 quarterback last season. 

And as a stopgap starter, there are much worse options.

Fitzpatrick started 12 games for the Texans last season. He was head coach Bill O'Brien's starter for the first nine before being benched in favor of Ryan Mallett. He then returned in Week 13 for three more starts but broke his leg in Week 15 and missed the rest of the year. 

His numbers were surprisingly good. He completed 63.1 percent of his passes and averaged 8.0 yards per attempt. He also threw 17 touchdowns against eight interceptions. 

Among qualified quarterbacks, Fitzpatrick's final passer rating of 95.3 ranked ninth overall. He finished above the likes of Russell Wilson, Matt Ryan, Philip Rivers and Alex Smith, among others. 

Passer rating can be deceiving, especially when a six-touchdown game (vs. Tennessee) is thrown into the mix. But Fitzpatrick had a 98.0 passer rating or higher in five games, and only two (not counting Week 15) under 75.0. He may not be a better overall quarterback than the names listed above, but he can produce efficiently from the position in the right situation. 

Joel Auerbach/Getty Images

The Jets certainly have some attractive options on offense, with Marshall and Eric Decker forming a strong 1-2 punch at receiver, 2014 second-round pick Jace Amaro at tight end and Chris Ivory at running back. Fitzpatrick coaxed production out of less during his run with the Bills. 

This trade does not immediately make the Jets into a contender. There's nothing about a quarterback combination of Smith and Fitzpatrick that scares the New England Patriots.

But the move is a step in the right direction, in terms of giving the Jets a competent player with experience and a history of production in the system. 

Adding competition and improving the quarterback room only cost the Jets a conditional pick late in next year's draft. It was likely an easy price to pay for the win-now Jets. 

Zach Kruse covers the NFC North for Bleacher Report. 

Follow @zachkruse2