Thanks to a leaked text from former teammate Fred Jackson, it looks like the secret is out: Ryan Fitzpatrick is retiring from the NFL.
Fitzpatrick was a journeyman's journeyman, a backup extraordinaire who somehow always found his way into games. Fitzpatrick started 147 games in his 17-year career, often replacing a starting quarterback who was injured. He would then play well, get paid as a starter, then eventually struggle again.
It became so consistent any number of jokes were regularly made about Fitzpatrick's tenure. Whether he was being called Fitzmagic or Fitztragic, the game was always interesting when Fitzpatrick played.
He saw the field for nine NFL teams. The Sporting News ranks his tenures with each:
1. Buffalo Bills
Is there any other answer? Fitzpatrick could have never seen the field with the Bills and Buffalo would have been tops for this alone.
It’s official. Ryan Fitzpatrick is retiring. He’s Bills mafia through and through. Congrats on a great career Buffalo loves you pic.twitter.com/UqQrAAq2jg
— Buffalo Sports Chatter (@ChatterBuffalo) June 2, 2022
Fitzpatrick and the Bills are a match made in heaven. He replaced Trent Edwards as a starter twice, once in 2009 and once in 2010. He was solid in his second starting stint in 2010, throwing for 3,000 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions.
In 2011, Fitzpatrick furthered his legend by throwing for over 3,832 yards with 24 TDs. Jekyll, however, doesn't exist without Hyde. Fitzpatrick also threw a league-high 23 interceptions.
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Despite actually getting those interception numbers down to 16 in 2012, Fitzpatrick was let go by the Bills along with coach Chan Gailey after a second straight 6-10 season, but his legend lived on. The tables he met along the way, alas, did not.
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Why is this higher than the Jets, you ask?
This video title composes a symphony words never could.
Fitzpatrick was not at his best with the Buccaneers, but his time there was outrageously fun. He didn't seem to leave with any bad blood, he had the vibe of a guy who was just happy to be playing in Florida.
Fitzpatrick's lesson in humility came after a 48-40 win over the Saints in Week 1 of the 2018 season in which he threw for 417 yards and four touchdowns. It was an all-time tone-setter for Fitzpatrick's season, and although he wasn't re-signed after the year in Tampa Bay, sometimes it's impossible to put a price on fun.
3. New York Jets
The Jets have good reason to feel grifted by Fitzpatrick. He had the best season of his career in New York in 2015, throwing for 3,905 yards and leading the Jets to a 10-6 record. He had 31 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, looked more mobile than ever, and just seemed to finally be a good quarterback.
Then the Jets gave him money.
Fitzpatrick was signed to a one-year, $12 million contract after that year. And this is where we must give credit to New York. It would be very easy for a team to see that 2015 season, get blinded, and sign Fitzpatrick to a massive multi-year deal. They sunk a year into him, and if it didn't work out, no harm no foul.
It didn't work out.
Fitzpatrick threw 17 interceptions to just 12 touchdowns in 2016, and completed just 56.6 percent of his passes. The Jets were 3-8 in games he started, and his contract was voided after the season to make him a free agent once again.
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4. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins are, 100 percent, one of the weirder stops on this list for Fitzpatrick. He beat out Josh Rosen and Tua Tagovailoa in back-to-back years to be a starter, but compared to Tampa Bay, Miami felt like a business trip for Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick was serviceable, throwing for 33 touchdowns and 18 interceptions in two seasons, but knowing what we now know about Brian Flores' tenure with the Dolphins, it's easy to understand why these are kind of flyover seasons despite Fitzpatrick being relatively good. There was very little to work with on these rosters, and it showed.
The best throw of FitzMagic's career? pic.twitter.com/c91NJ0n3nN
— NFL (@NFL) June 2, 2022
5. Houston Texans
By the time Fitzpatrick played for the Texans, the curse was in full effect. He had already slain Jamie Martin, Carson Palmer, Trent Edwards (twice) and Jake Locker. But in Houston, there was a wrinkle. Fitzpatrick won the starting job before the season but was eventually benched for Ryan Mallett.
Fitzpatrick's vengeance was swift. Mallett tore his pectoral muscle just two weeks later, forcing the Texans to come crawling back to Fitzpatrick. He posted a 6-6 record, one of two times in his career he was .500 or better as a starter in a season.
6. Tennessee Titans
Backtracking a bit, the Titans are when the Curse of Ryan Fitzpatrick started to really pick up steam. Jake Locker won the starting job for Tennessee in 2013, but was injured in Week 4. Fitzpatrick came in to relieve him, and went on to start the next two games before Locker returned.
Locker played two games, but a Lisfranc injury derailed the rest of his season in 2013, forcing Fitzpatrick to carry the load. He finished the year with 2,454 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. His backup role was usurped by Charlie Whitehurst after the season.
7. Cincinnati Bengals
In Fitzpatrick's second season with the Bengals, 2008, Carson Palmer suffered an elbow injury for Cincinnati. Fitzpatrick was thrust into action with just three starts under his belt. He posted a 4-7-1 record with the Bengals and threw for 1,905 yards, while posting an 8-9 touchdown-interception ratio.
Consistency was often a struggle for Fitzpatrick in Cincinnati, but he entered free agency with a decent season under his belt that eventually led him to the Bills. So in the end, everyone won.
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8. St. Louis Rams
The team Fitzpatrick was originally drafted by in the seventh round, Fitzpatrick had to start three games as a rookie in 2005 after an injury to Jamie Martin. He had 777 yards with four touchdowns and eight interceptions, looking every bit like the rookie he was. To his credit, however, it was an impossible situation to be put into.
9. Washington Football Team
Fitzpatrick started for the then-Washington Football Team in 2021, but his deal with the devil finally caught up to him. Fitzpatrick was placed on IR after a hip injury he suffered in the second quarter of his first game. According to NFL Media's Tom Pelissero, Fitzpatrick never came back from the injury all the way, which led to his retirement.
???
According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, Fitzpatrick is in talks with Amazon to join its "Thursday Night Football" broadcast team in a "key role." We'll see what that ultimately means, but don't expect Fitzpatrick to leave the NFL scene anytime soon.
