AUGUSTA, GEORGIA – APRIL 09: Ryan Fitzpatrick of the Washington Football Team watches play on the eighth green during the second round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on April 09, 2021 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Ryan Fitzpatrick spent 17 seasons in the NFL with nine different teams en route to becoming a fan favorite. Now, he’s calling it a career.
It’s truly wild for an NFL quarterback to play for more than a quarter of the teams in the league throughout his career. But Ryan Fitzpatrick redefined the idea of a journeyman quarterback, not only playing for nine NFL teams, most recently spending a season with the Washington now-Commanders, but starting for all of them as well.
There won’t be a 10th team or another season as a starter, though.
On Thursday, Fitzpatrick’s former Buffalo Bills teammate Fred Jackson tweeted out a message from his once quarterback that seemed to indicate Fitzpatrick is hanging it up and retiring ahead of the 2022 season. Jackson indicated as much in his message as well.
Ryan Fitzpatrick retiring after legendary NFL career
First off, the graphic that Fitzpatrick sent seemingly including all of his teammates from 17 years and nine teams in his career is absolutely incredible. Secondly, it’s going to be sad to see the cult hero leave the league.
While Fitzpatrick has enjoyed varying levels of success at the pro level in terms of his statistical output, the fact that he consistently was given opportunities speaks to his talent and professionalism. Moreover, it also speaks to why fans have only grown to love him more over time.
In fact, Fitzpatrick’s NFL journey is the first of its kind in NFL history as his nine different teams he served as a starting quarterback for is a league record.
We’ll miss the beard, we’ll miss the quips, we’ll miss the sense of humor. All told, we’ll just miss the FitzMagic.
