The “Fitzmagic” has run out. Journeyman quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick reportedly made a decision to retire from the NFL after playing for 17 seasons and suiting up for nine teams.
Fitzpatrick didn’t make an official announcement but instead broke the news by sending a text to his former teammates. The screenshot of the text was later shared by ex-running back Fred Jackson, who played with Fitzpatrick during his time with the Buffalo Bills.
Fitzpatrick spent the 2022 NFL season with the Washington Commanders but didn’t play much. He suffered a hip injury in Week 1 and later underwent surgery that cost him the remainder of the campaign.
Coming out of Harvard in 2005, Ryan Fitzpatrick wasn’t predicted a long stay in the pros. He was a seventh-round selection by the Rams and the last quarterback off the board. However, it turned out that analysts didn’t get it quite right, as Fitzpatrick outlasted every QB in his class except Aaron Rodgers.
Fitzpatrick would go on to spend three seasons with the Rams, during which he made three starts, before embarking on stints with the Cincinnati Bengals, the Buffalo Bills, the New York Jets, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and four other franchises. He made at least one start with each team he played for.
Fitzpatrick wraps up his NFL journey with 34,990 passing yards, 223 passing touchdowns, and 169 interceptions. He holds a number of NFL records, including most consecutive games of 400 yards passing with three and most games with at least 400 passing yards in a single season with four.
