After a lengthy contract dispute, the off-field hits keep coming for Ryan Fitzpatrick.
It's safe to say the quarterback will enter the 2016 campaign with a chip on his shoulder that's thicker than his bushy beard. It took a while and there was a lot of drama, but Fitzpatrick and the Jets eventually agreed to a one-year, $12 million contract on July 27.
In the latest ESPN quarterbacks poll, which is submittted by unnamed league coaches and front office executives, Fitzpatrick was ranked as the 25th quarterback in the league, something which drew the ire of the signal caller.
"That's pretty typical, right?" Fitzpatrick said, according to the New York Daily News. "It's amazing that I've been the worst quarterback in the league for the last 11 years and somehow I'm still in the league. It's amazing how that happens, but it happens every year."
Fitzpatrick, 33, is coming off of a career year when he converted on 59.6 percent of his passes for 3,905 yards while throwing for a Jets franchise-record 31 touchdowns. The quarterback had great chemistry with wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, but he did throw 15 interceptions last season.
Though the quarterback had a tremendous year, he was largely lambasted for his final game against the Bills. With the Jets needing to beat Buffalo and ex-coach Rex Ryan in order to advance to the playoffs for the first time since 2010, Fitzpatrick put together a ghastly three-interception performance as Gang Green lost and missed the postseason.
Fitzpatrick had eight quarterbacks ranked below him in the poll, including the likes of Tyrod Taylor (Bills), Brock Osweiler (Texans), Colin Kaepernick (49ers) and Mark Sanchez (Broncos).
The veteran quarterback has been a journeyman throughout his career, having stints with the Rams, Bengals, Bills, Titans and Texans before landing with the Jets.
Fitzpatrick is used to being dismissed and acknowledged such when he addressed the situation.
"Let's say each team puts their top three quarterbacks out there: 32 teams, 96 quarterbacks," Fitzpatrick said. "And you line us up all in shorts and you put ski masks on us and have us throw. I'm going to be in the 90th or lower (percentile), I'm sure. But I almost pride myself on that, because I'm not a Combine guy. I'm not a guy that got recruited out of high school. I'm not a guy that was a first-round pick. I'm not a coveted free agent. I'm just a guy that comes in and works my tail off, and tries to do my job."
The Jets open up their preseason on Thursday against the Jaguars and will open up the season on Sept. 11. against the Bengals.
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