Amid a report that Jets receiver Eric Decker is skipping Organized Team Activities to make a statement in support of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, it appears that Jets receiver Brandon Marshall is doing the same.
Although Marshall hasn’t said anything about the issue, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News connects the dots and concludes that both Decker and Marshall are skipping OTAs to show solidarity with Fitzpatrick, who remains an unsigned free agent.
It’s widely expected that Fitzpatrick will be the Jets’ starting quarterback this season, but the Jets aren’t offering Fitzpatrick the kind of money he wants, and so far it appears that neither side wants to budge on contract talks. The Jets are waiting until Fitzpatrick brings his price down, while Fitzpatrick is waiting for the Jets to increase their offer. Neither side has a lot of leverage: Fitzpatrick doesn’t have another team willing to make him its starting quarterback, while the Jets don’t want to be stuck with Geno Smith as their starter.
Marshall and Decker don’t want Smith, either. They’re making it clear that they want Fitzpatrick to be their guy, and they’re skipping voluntary workouts to make that point.
