The wait is over. Fitz-magic is back, baby!

Well, at least for one more year, but one year is enough for this Jets team. After Ryan Fitzpatrick finalized his one-year $12 million contract, finally ending the offseason drama and in turn filling the Jets' most crucial need, the team looks ripe with potential -- the potential to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011.

This is the first time since that year that I've felt confident about a Jets team making the playoffs. This type of feeling is rare for Jets fans, so excuse me if my optimism exceeds its normal bounds. Yet, I am cautiously optimistic; after all, this is the Jets we are talking about. The team that is either nowhere near there or excruciatingly close to getting there. To get there (the playoffs), the ship will not be smooth sailing. It may even be a rocky start, with the team facing five teams who made the playoffs last year in their first six games.

But there is reason to be excited for this tough beginning to the season. Those first six games, none of which are against the Patriots, will show just how improved the team will be from last year. A second year of the Fitzpatrick-Marshall-Decker trio could prove to be vital to the team's chemistry going into week one. The mystery offensively is whether or not Matt Forte will perform as well as he did when he was a Pro Bowler back in 2013. Even half of that might suffice, with Bilal Powell backing the aging running back. Powell proved to be a reliable option behind Chris Ivory last year, and showed flashes of brilliance as a receiving back, recording a career high 388 receiving yards last year. Nonetheless, if the running back duo can gain at least 700 yards each, the Jets can have potentially a league-best offense. This doesn't even account for the return of the once-promising Jace Amaro, who could also give the Jets the tight end excellence they've been dying for.

With the quarterback dilemma sorted out before the start of training camp, this means that players on both sides of the ball will benefit. The Jets defense has the potential to be historically good, especially on the defensive line. With Revis, Buster Skrine and Calvin Pryor playing another year in the deep end together, defensive cohesion can be developed to the level of the Seahawks' "Legion of Boom" secondary. Add in the outside linebacker impact rookie Darron Lee can have, and the Jets look solid all throughout their defense.

The biggest question mark for this team looks to be their special teams. Ever since the departure of Mike Westhoff in 2012, the Jets have gone from special teams specialists to bottom dwellers in the department. Aside from the dependable leg of Nick Folk, the Jets are slated to start a rookie punter in Lachlan Edwards and Kick Returner/Wide Receiver Kenbrell Thompkins, who has shown to be average at best at returning kicks. It is possible that Marshall and Decker will split returning duties, with Decker having moderate success as a punt returner last year. Regardless of whomever lines in the endzone, the Jets haven't been able to maintain stability in the special teams department. With the hiring of Brian Boyer, the Jets will have their fifth special teams coach in five years, a far cry from their once-elite special teams. If any aspect of the Jets will be their downfall, the special teams will be it.

Now, the real question is whether or not the Jets can actually win the division this year. If there ever were a time, this year would be it. With Brady out for the first four games, it is definitely a possibility. However, as mentioned, the Jets schedule starts out pretty tough, and the Jimmy Garropollo might shine in the Bellichick system, much like Matt Cassell did in 2010. The first Jets-Patriots showdown will be in Week 12, right after a Jets bye week (which could prove to be disastrous or beneficial, depending on how Week 10 pans out). They play again a month later in Week 16, which could decide the division winner.

In the end, I don't expect the Jets to win the division. However, one of the wild cards is most certainly in the equation. Building on the success of last season, in which the Jets were one win away from snagging that second wild card, the team looks poised to return to the playoffs. Last year, Coach Bowles improved the team from 4-12 to 10-6, so there couldn't be many complaints of the team's performance. This year though, there are no more excuses.