Fitzpatrick: Pressure from teammates made holdout difficult

Ryan Fitzpatrick held strong for nearly five months in his contract standoff with the New York Jets. His aggressive approach paid off, as the club gave him a one-year, $12-million contract on the eve of training camp.

But the holdout wasn't easy for Fitzpatrick. The veteran passer lives 10 minutes away from the Jets facility, and he told Michael Irvin on "Good Morning Football" Monday that his proximity to his teammates made his holdout even more difficult.

"I'm getting texts and calls from Brandon (Marshall) and (Eric) Decker and (Nick) Mangold and I'm going crazy in the house with my Rubik's Cube or my book or whatever I'm doing wanting to be here," Fitzpatrick said, according to Conor Orr of NFL.com. "And that was difficult for me, but it's behind us now, I'm here, we're going to work every day and this is what I love doing and I love being here."

Decker, Marshall, and Matt Forte were among a host of veteran Jets players that spoke out in support of Fitzpatrick during his holdout. The weight of their loyalty weighed heavy on Fitzpatrick as he struggled to stay away from the team.

"That's why I play the game, that's why I love it," he said. "To have Brandon and Deck sticking their neck out and making different compliments and just being loyal, to me that puts a ton of pressure on me. Not because of the money, but because those guys wanted me here. They know what I can do and they know what we can do together. Every single day, that's what motivates me and that's what pushes me to get better."