New York Jets

New York Jets: Ryan Fitzpatrick Believes He Will Be Better in 2016

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The New York Jets willing be attempting to make playoffs in 2016. One of the keys to that will be a good season for Ryan Fitzpatrick.

It was a challenging offseason for New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. A long contract negotiation led many to believe that Fitzpatrick wasn’t going to be the quarterback this season. A deal was finally done, and now Fitzpatrick is motivated to be better and get the Jets into the playoffs.

“I want to be in the playoffs,” Fitzpatrick said Monday in a sit-down with ESPN.com. “We’ll see what happens, but I think we’ve got the right guys to do it. … Our expectations are higher this year. I think we’re a more confident football team.”

The Jets benefited from having a weak strength of schedule in 2015, but that will not be the case this season. Fitzpatrick believes that the Jets will without a doubt contend for a playoff spot this season.

“Yeah, there’s no doubt,” he said to Rich Cimini.

Even though Fitzpatrick is playing for another contract this season, he wants the team to have success. Due to the quarterback position being so important, if Fitzpatrick plays well, the Jets will play well.

“I don’t care about the [individual] stuff,” he said. “My career right now is better than I could’ve expected in terms of how long I’ve played and what I’ve been able to do. … I want so bad to get [to the playoffs], and part of it is because I’ve never been there. But a lot of it is the guys that have put so much faith in me. That’s what keeps me going and why I want to get there so bad.”

Last season was the best in the career of Fitzpatrick. He was able to total nearly 4,000 passing yards. In addition to the impressive passing totals, he also threw 31 touchdown passes. Furthermore, Fitzpatrick believes that the best is yet to come.

“I’m a better player than I was last year,” he said to Cimini. “I feel like I keep progressing. I don’t know what the stats are going to be, but I’m going to be a better player this year than I was last year.”

Finally, Fitzpatrick and the Jets will be tested right out of the gate against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1. Week 17 in Buffalo left a sour taste in the mouth of the Jets and Fitzpatrick. Now, let’s see if they can bounce back from it.