Ferguson Retires; Frees Up $9 Million

Major news out of New York this morning...

Ferguson was a pillar of stability for the Jets over those 10 seasons. According to Cimini, he never missed even ONE snap due to injury. That's unbelievable.

The Jets asked Ferguson to take a pay cut so that they had some room to sign Ryan Fitzpatrick, but was that the main reason Ferguson walked away?

This development has a two-pronged effect on the Jets. They are now down a talented offensive lineman and will almost certainly need to look to that position in the draft, probably higher than they originally thought.

But this also changes the elements surrounding the Fitzpatrick situation:

The two sides have reportedly been far apart. Fitzpatrick side wants in the neighborhood of $15 million guaranteed per season while the Jets have't wanted to offer more than seven or eight. I think, ultimately, the two sides know they need each other. Neither has any real options outside of the other. I expect the two to get something done in the $10-12 million range.