Ryan Fitzpatrick was benched Monday and should be benched permanently by Jets

The New York Jets’ offseason quarterback drama seems silly now.

The team waited all offseason for Ryan Fitzpatrick to accept a contract offer, and he did just before training camp. The Jets would have been better off had he never reported.

Fitzpatrick has been awful this season. In retrospect, it shouldn’t be a total surprise. Even when Fitzpatrick reported, he wasn’t happy with his contract. It shows.

Fitzpatrick was finally benched for Geno Smith in the fourth quarter of Monday night’s 28-3 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. It was overdue. Fitzpatrick missed many open throws against the Cardinals, and his interception near the goal line in the third quarter was terrible. Whatever magic Fitzpatrick had last season, when he threw for 31 touchdowns, is long gone. He has five touchdowns and 11 interceptions this season. He has been awful after halftime this season, with zero touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

The Jets are 1-5 after a terrible loss to the Cardinals, and it should be time for Fitzpatrick to take a seat for the rest of the season. Benching Fitzpatrick permanently isn’t a sign the Jets are giving up on their season. Anyone else would give the Jets a better chance to compete right now.

However, right after the game, coach Todd Bowles said Fitzpatrick would start next week. We’ll see.

The Jets have nothing to gain by starting Fitzpatrick any more. They need to figure out starting now what they have for 2017. They kept four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster for a reason. They thought Fitzpatrick could replicate his surprising 2015, and they didn’t want to let any of their other three young quarterbacks go. It’s time to see what the other quarterbacks have before the end of the season.

Smith came in Monday and didn’t look great. He had a couple nice passes on his first drive, but then held the ball too long on third down and took a sack, and followed that with a fourth-down interception. That shouldn’t surprise anyone familiar with Smith’s career arc.

Smith should be given a shot to start instead of Fitzpatrick. Second-year quarterback Bryce Petty and rookie Christian Hackenberg should also play at some point this season, unless Smith gets his shot and shines.

The Jets are likely finished this season. Fitzpatrick should be too.