New York Jets: Primed to dethrone the Patriots?

The New York Jets have turned around a very question-filled offseason in a hurry with the signing of Ryan Fitzpatrick. Can they dethrone the Patriots?

It’s been a heck of an offseason for the New York Jets, who made arguably their most important move on the eve of training camp by signing quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to a one-year deal.

The return of Fitzpatrick was absolutely enormous for the Jets, whose players were seeming to get a bit uneasy about him not ultimately signing. It was a huge sigh of relief for everyone when Fitzpatrick signed his deal and showed up to the Jets’ facility on Wednesday.

Fitzpatrick’s 31 touchdowns last season are the most in a single year in Jets history. Statistically, it was the best season of his NFL career, and seeing him on the same team with mostly the same coaches and teammates two years in a row is going to be a rarity over the course of this guy’s career.

He’s moved from place to place, team to team, but finally found something in New York. He turned down a three-year deal that he thought was a low-ball offer and accepted a one-year, $12 million deal with incentives that can raise the deal to $15 million.

The real question with all of this is, did the Jets do enough this offseason to dethrone the Patriots in the AFC East?

If they haven’t done it yet, I don’t know what else is on the menu.

The Jets upgraded their backfield significantly by signing former Bears Pro Bowl running back Matt Forte. They upgraded the offensive line by trading for Denver Broncos former Pro Bowl tackle Ryan Clady.

The team’s biggest distraction defensively was the contract situation of Muhammad Wilkerson, which was shockingly resolved on the day that players and teams could still negotiate under the franchise player designation.

The other major distraction defensively was taken care of on the same day of Fitzpatrick’s contract when first round pick Darron Lee finally agreed to a contract.

Things have been going really well for the Jets over the course of the last couple of weeks, and in the last 24 hours, it feels like the gap between they and the New England Patriots has closed. Tom Brady, as we all know, is suspended for the first four games of the season.

The Jets won’t play the Patriots over that timeframe, but they do have a chance to gain some early ground in the overall standings and give the Pats a serious run for their money.

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More than what the Patriots don’t have, I like what the Jets do have. This is a really good football team which has seemingly removed itself of all off-field distractions. Sheldon Richardson will be suspended for a game, but when he returns in week two, the Jets’ defensive line will be as talented as any in the NFL. Their defensive backfield is led by Darrelle Revis. The linebacker group has added some serious speed with Ohio State’s Darron Lee.

Offensively, is there a markedly better wide receiver duo on paper? Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker, and now Devin Smith coming up to provide some additional speed on the outside.

This is a good looking football team, and now their quarterback is back in the fold.