Geno Has Never Done It Before
This reason is so simple and obvious that it’s escaping many fans.
Ryan Fitzpatrick has, indeed, been a solid starting quarterback in the league. Geno Smith has not.
Take a look at Fitz’s career numbers when entering a campaign as the starting QB:
Those are solid starting quarterback stats. So solid, in fact, a salary of $12 million a year is worthy. Look around the landscape of the NFL and what the comparable starting QB is raking in. Fitz’s $12 million pales in comparison.
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Geno, on the other hand, has never done it.
Which rational thinking decision maker in the NFL is going to choose the unproven guy over the established one? This is especially hard to do considering the established guy did it the year prior for the very organization at which he’s at odds with.
The only avenue the unproven QB gets the nod over the established one is when the unproven guy is a high draft pick who represents success or failure closely tied to the regime at hand.
John Idzik drafted Geno, not Maccagnan. This doesn’t mean Maccagnan can’t like him. It means Geno’s successes or failures do not directly impact Maccagnan’s draftability grade.
It’s extremely hard for a young fringe QB to be chosen as “the guy” when the regime at hand didn’t hand pick him.
