We all want things we can’t afford, even the New York Jets, who have a league-low $565,000 in salary cap space and no viable quarterback options on the current roster.
In a last-ditch effort to alleviate both of those problems, the Jets have approached left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson and asked him to take a pay cut in order to re-sign Ryan Fitzpatrick, the New York Daily News reported.
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Not only does Ferguson have one of the coolest first names in all of sports, he has a monster contract and is set to count $14.1 million ($10.375 in salary and bonuses) against the salary cap in 2016. The Jets would like to reduce that number by $4 million to $5 million, according to the Daily News.
The 32-year-old former first-round pick has only missed one snap in his entire 10-year-career and has made three Pro Bowls. Despite his remarkable contributions to the franchise over the last decade, the Jets don’t seem to have much confidence in his future in New York.
"Going forward, we'll see how it goes," head coach Todd Bowles said of Ferguson and the possibility of releasing him. "Right now, he's on our team."
Fitzpatrick, who led the Jets to a 10-6 record last season, is unquestionably the best QB on the free agent market (sorry, Jimmy Clausen). And at No. 20 in the upcoming draft, it seems unlikely the Jets use another top pick on a QB after drafting Bryce Petty in the fourth round a year ago.