The New York Jets have been much better off with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center than Geno Smith. With Fitzpatrick, the Jets are 5-4 and in the thick of the wild card race in the AFC. Though the team has dropped three of their last four, their offense is actually quite respectable, a noticeable change from year's past.
As of right now, New York ranks 11th in yards per game (360.6) and 12th in points (24.1) and rushing yards (116.7). Of course, much of that has to do with Chris Ivory's breakout season and the addition of Brandon Marshall. But Fitzpatrick has been the steady hand that guides them which is in stark contrast to the erratic play Jets fans came to expect from Smith.
As a result, Smith's time in New York could be coming to an end as Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan would not completely endorse the young QB going forward.
"The jury is still out, but not necessarily in a bad way," Maccagnan told the New York Post. "We're just going to see how it unfolds going forward."
Smith lost the starting job when teammate IK Enemkpali broke his jaw in a locker room altercation during the offseason. The 25-year-old signal-caller has one more year remaining on his rookie deal.
"Obviously, Geno's under contrat for next year," Maccagnan said. "As of right now, I think Geno has dealt with some adversity with the incident this summer. I thought he's handled it very well. He's actually done a good job in terms of his practice, his approach, preparing."
Smith has appeared in just one game this season, filling in for an injured Fitzpatrick. He completed 27-of-42 pass attempts (64.3 percent) for 265 yards with two touchdowns and one interception against the Oakland Raiders. While those numbers look good, they weren't enough for Maccagnan to guarantee Smith a role with the team moving forward.
"At this point in time, we're just going to see how this thing progresses," Maccagnan said. "We still have a little under half the season left. Geno's done a good job so far and we'll see how he progresses going forward."
