NFL Rumors: Ryan Fitzpatrick Leaving New York Jets For Denver Broncos

NFL rumors are swirling around Ryan Fitzpatrick. Since he and the New York Jets cannot come close to finalizing a new contract, the belief is that Fitzpatrick is starting to look elsewhere in the National Football League for a home. While the Jets continue to see if Fitzpatrick will fold, they might end up losing the veteran quarterback to an opportunistic general manager. According to NBC Sports, the Denver Broncos have emerged as a potential destination for Fitzpatrick.

When the Cleveland Browns signed Robert Griffin III to a two-year contract, Ryan Fitzpatrick and his camp believed that they gained some leverage in contract negotiations with the New York Jets. After all, the team now had one less quarterback option. That did not prove to be the case for Fitzpatrick. The Jets decided to hold firm on their stance. The team was even said to have dropped their pursuit of Colin Kaepernick around the same time, even though their negotiations with Fitzpatrick had not advanced.

It’s been a rough offseason for the Denver Broncos. Brock Osweiler walked away in free agency and signed with the Houston Texans. Peyton Manning opted to retire. Their quarterback situation went from being solid to being empty. Broncos general manager John Elway decided to put a band-aid on the wound by trading for Philadelphia Eagles backup quarterback Mark Sanchez.

Mark Sanchez can be a very solid quarterback in the NFL. He’s not going to win you a bunch of games. Sanchez might even lose you a couple. However, the former USC Trojans star is competent enough to start. That’s growing harder to find in the National Football League nowadays. The Denver Broncos have readily admitted that Sanchez was not their ultimate solution. John Elway is going to look around for other potential options at quarterback.

The Denver Broncos need a more reliable option at quarterback. Ryan Fitzpatrick needs a new home in the NFL. On the surface, it seems like a potentially good marriage for both sides. Bringing on Fitzpatrick would enable John Elway to field a competitive team while continuing to seek out a quarterback of the future. Fitzpatrick might even be a great mentor for a young quarterback that they select in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Peyton Manning wasn’t his usual self during his final season in the NFL. However, he was still able to hoist the Super Bowl trophy. The reason for that is because the Denver Broncos wisely built a dominant defense to make life easier on the quarterback. It was a formula that worked in the past for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baltimore Ravens. Ryan Fitzpatrick wouldn’t need to have a great season in order for the Broncos to have a chance at winning another NFL Championship.

John Elway might have the upper hand in negotiations with Ryan Fitzpatrick. He already knows that the New York Jets aren’t all that interested in meeting his contractual demands. Elway also knows that there’s not a ton of interest in Fitzpatrick around the NFL because he’s an older quarterback that wants to be paid big money. Elway also has a lot of confidence in the Denver Broncos defense.

The situation between Ryan Fitzpatrick and the New York Jets needs to be resolved soon. The NFL Draft is right around the corner, and the team would be wise to put all of their focus on finding new players for their roster. Getting Fitzpatrick under contract would enable the Jets to do that. Allowing Fitzpatrick to walk away does that as well. One way or another, this negotiation should not continue to linger much longer.

[Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images]