With the Houston Texans signing quarterback Bryan Hoyer to a two year deal earlier today, and with Ryan Mallette getting a contract extension and still on the roster, the team had no need to keep last year’s opening week starter Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Texans have traded Fitzpatrick to the New York Jets for a late round pick in the NFL Draft. As is almost always the case, ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first with the news.
Texans are trading QB Ryan Fitzpatrick to the New York Jets for a late-round conditional draft pick, per a league source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 11, 2015
Returning to the Texans will be a conditional draft pick in the 2016 draft. There’s no immediate word on the conditions for the pick, but presumably it will be determined by how much Fitzpatrick plays for the Jets in 2015.
The 32-year old Fitzpatrick played in 12 games for the Texans last season. He completed 63.1% of his passes for 2483 yards, 17 touchdowns, 8 interceptions and also added two rushing touchdowns. His quarterback rating was 95.3. On December 14, 2014 against the Indianapolis Colts during the second quarter, Fitzpatrick scrambled for a two yard gain, was tripped up, and ended up with a fractured tibia, ending his season.
Fitzpatrick has played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, and Houston Texans in his NFL Career. He has played in 97 games with 89 career starts. Fitzpatrick has completed 60.2% of his passes for 19,273 yards, 123 touchdowns, 101 interceptions and a 79.5 passer rating. He also has 11 career rushing touchdowns.
Fitzpatrick was originally a 7th round pick of the St. Louis Rams in the 2004 NFL Draft.
All indications are that Fitzpatrick will compete with Geno Smith for the Jets starting quarterback job next season.
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