Bart Scott Comments on Ryan Fitzpatrick's Contract Negotiations with Jets

The Ryan Fitzpatrick-New York Jets contract saga has rolled into May with reportedly little progress in negotiations.   

It's given former Jets linebacker and current ESPN analyst Bart Scott time to add his take on the situation. While speaking with SiriusXM NFL Radio on Tuesday (via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com), Scott had no problems voicing his displeasure with the free-agent quarterback:

"

Fitz don't have a leg to stand on, man. He is who he is. You can have great teams and great records, but at this point, pretty much everybody knows who he is. He's a quality guy. On another 20 teams in the league, he would be a backup. The only teams that he would start for are the teams that have bad quarterback situations. He's a bridge guy, a glue guy.

"

The Jets have offered the 33-year-old a deal in which he would make $7 million to $8 million a year, but he is looking for double that amount, according to ESPN.com's Adam Schefter. While the Jets haven't budged from their initial offer, the same ESPN report said Fitzpatrick told Schefter he would "rather not play football" than play for the Jets at the amount they have on the table. 

The New York Post's Brian Costello, though, heard from a source that report wasn't true. 

Scott mentioned the deal Brock Osweiler inked with the Houston Texans while analyzing the Fitzpatrick negotiations. The 25-year-old agreed to a four-year, $72 million deal in free agency, which comes out to $18 million a year. Scott said Fitzpatrick doesn't deserve that kind of money. 

"[Osweiler] hasn’t reached his ceiling yet. They're paying for his potential, what he might be able to become. It's all downhill right now for Fitz," Scott said. “You’ve got to think, they're surrounding him with tremendous talent. You can't get your feelings hurt. This is business. Whoever his agent is has to understand that this is the market."

While Fitzpatrick did put up a career year with the Jets last season, he made just $3.25 million, per Spotrac. Multiplying that by almost five times heading into a season in which he'll turn 34 could be a big risk given his limited success in the league. 

The Jets seem to be formulating a backup plan if Fitzpatrick walks and they're left with Geno Smith and Bryce Petty, as they selected Penn State's Christian Hackenberg in the second round of this year's draft. 

That's just another player who could step in and take Fitzpatrick's job. "If you don't take it [advantage of the job], somebody will," Scott said. "One thing I know about the NFL is they will turn the page and move on."

With the summer rapidly approaching, both the Jets and Fitzpatrick are running out of time to get something done. The longer this continues, the more difficult it will be for the Jets to prepare their No. 1 quarterback and for Fitzpatrick to find another gig in the NFL if it comes to that. 

Stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com.