Titans Talk With Ryan Fitzpatrick

Dec. 23, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) during a game against the Miami Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Titans have had conversations with Ryan Fitzpatrick according to Kimberly Jones of the NFL Network.  Could this be the next move in the free agency shuffle for the Titans?

Ryan Fitzpatrick has had a bit of an up and down career in Buffalo, but never lived up to his new contract after signing a 6 year/$62M contract extension.  The Buffalo Bills decided to release him last Tuesday, one day before he was scheduled to receive a $3M roster bonus.  The Bills have obviously decided it’s best for their franchise to start fresh at the QB position.

Fitzpatrick has played well in stretches, like the one where he earned his extension, but then seems to revert into making bad decisions for a series of games as well.  He views himself as a starter still, but the question remains if another NFL franchise feels the same way.

A previous article posted this morning discussed the possibility of Matt Hasselbeck being cut outright by the Tennessee Titans in order to free up the $5.5M due as his base salary for the upcoming year. Hasselbeck had said he would be open to restructuring his contract, but how much less would he really be willing to take?  Matt has proven that he can come in and stabilize a franchise in disarray while a younger QB is groomed, or the team waits on another draft class.  With so many teams out there in need at the QB position, combined with how few “top shelf” prospects there are in the draft this year, I would think the market for Matt’s services wouldn’t be that bad.

Would Ryan Fitzpatrick push Jake for the starting job?  Would he be willing to play the back up role?  Maybe if he knew how tenuous a hold the current QB had on the position, he would be willing to take his chances.  The real question is how much less of a cap hit would the Titans take this year by signing Fitzpatrick and cutting Hasselbeck?  Is it worth $1M, $2M, how about $3M?  Maybe a move like this could free up what they need to sign Elvis Dumervil?

The Titans obviously aren’t done in free agency and want to be in position to make a move as the dominoes continue to fall.  And outside of their young core players, no one is safe.

What do you think of the idea?

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