Quarterback is one of the most important positions in all of sports. The Jets have been a franchise searching for an answer at the quarterback position for decades. The last franchise quarterback the Jets had was Joe Namath. Namath played for them from 1965-1976. A forty-year search, one would think that this franchise would jump at the chance to cash in on all the success it has last year. Instead, the Jets decided to play hard ball with a quarterback that set a franchise record for the most touchdowns thrown in a single season.

Ryan Fitzpatrick has had a long career in the NFL. He has been a very serviceable quarterback. By no means is he a hall-of-famer or even considered a top quarterback in the game. But as the Jets’ quarterback last season, he put up very good numbers. He threw for 3,905 yards, 31 touchdowns, both of which were his career highs. and even rushed for 270 yards with 2 rushing touchdowns (NFL.com). After all the back and forth, Fitzpatrick and the Jets finally agreed to a 1-year, $12 million deal on Wednesday, just in time for training camp.

Why was it imperative the Jets sign a 33-year old quarterback who is coming off his best season as a pro? First, he is a right fit for this team. The Jets are a win-now team and not a young team. Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker, Matt Forte, and Darrelle Revis are getting closer to retirement with each passing year. Fitzpatrick provides the Jets stability at the quarterback position. It doesn’t matter if Fitzpatrick is not the franchise quarterback that can anchor the offense for years to come. This is a win-now team that can definitely win with Fitzpatrick.

Secondly, the alternatives for the Jets are not great. In Fitzpatrick, the Jets get a stable quarterback who proved he can play in New York. It’s an offense he can run and is used to running with Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey from their Buffalo Bills days. Fitzpatrick is reliable and has proven what his capabilities are. Meanwhile, the other three quarterbacks, Geno Smith, Bryce Petty, and Christian Hackenberg, are far from reliable.

Petty is a second-year quarterback who has the arm and physical attributes to be an NFL quarterback. The negative on him is that in college, he ran a spread offense. The spread offense is not even close to an NFL-style offense. College quarterbacks that come from a spread-offense usually struggle in the NFL. He still needs to prove that he will be able to understand an NFL playbook and will be able to read defenses.

Hackenberg was a second-round pick in this year’s NFL draft. General Manager Mike Maccagnan sees potential in the rookie, and probably will be given the chance to become the coveted franchise quarterback in the future. However, rookie quarterbacks usually struggle in their first year. And for a win-now team, a rookie quarterback is typically not the answer.

Then, there is the big elephant in the room. Smith has been given a chance to take over as the quarterback for the Jets. Smith has all the physical tools and can make any throw. However, Smith has proved again and again that talent alone doesn’t win in the NFL. In his first two years in the league, he threw 25 touchdowns, but had 34 interceptions and 7 fumbles lost (NFL.com). His inefficiency in the red zone, ill-timed interceptions and fumbles, and not being able to throw to open wide receivers are a few issues that plague him on the field. In his article, Ranking the league’s QB-RB-WR trios, Jacob Infante said the following:

“Smith will be made better by having solid players around him, but the saying goes: you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.”

To add to the on-field issues, Smith lacks maturity and leadership. Last year in training camp, he was punched by a teammate and broke his jaw. As a result, Fitzpatrick become the starting quarterback and Smith’s days as a Jets quarterback may be over.

The Jets have finally signed their 2016 quarterback and build on the momentum they gained last year. There are no excuses and the expectations for this franchise have skyrocketed. They need to prove that they belong and last year was no fluke. This franchise hasn’t won a Super Bowl since 1968. With Fitzpatrick at the helm, it is time for them to take this opportunity and win now.