Ryan Fitzpatrick: From Harvard Crimson to NFL Journeyman
Ryan Joseph Fitzpatrick, born on November 24, 1982, is a former American professional football quarterback who spent 17 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). His career is notable not only for its longevity but also for the number of teams he played for, the records he broke, and the unique blend of intelligence and on-field "Fitzmagic" that defined his playing style.
Collegiate Career at Harvard
Fitzpatrick played college football for the Harvard Crimson, where he left an indelible mark. After Rose graduated in 2003, Fitzpatrick took over the starting job and finished his junior campaign with 1,770 yards, 16 touchdowns, and eight interceptions in seven games. In 2004, Fitzpatrick was named the Ivy League Player of the Year and winner of the George H. "Bulger" Lowe Award, as he accumulated 1,986 yards with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. For his career, Fitzpatrick ranked third on Harvard's career list for pass completions, touchdowns, and passing yards. He became the school's first quarterback to surpass 1,000 rushing yards. Fitzpatrick's 1,006 total plays for 6,721 yards in total offense broke the old school career records of 1,005 plays by Mike Giardi (1991-93) and 6,519 yards by Neil Rose.
Academic Prowess
Fitzpatrick's intelligence extended beyond the football field. Like most incoming NFL rookies, Fitzpatrick took the Wonderlic test. Fitzpatrick completed the test in nine minutes, with rumors indicating that he obtained a perfect score of 50. However, a 2005 The Wall Street Journal report said that Fitzpatrick scored a 48, which is still considered exceptionally high. While his actual score is unknown, Fitzpatrick has acknowledged leaving at least one question blank, making 49 his highest possible score. To date, Fitzpatrick has the highest reported Wonderlic test score achieved among NFL quarterbacks. He graduated from Harvard with a degree in economics, showcasing his commitment to both academics and athletics.
NFL Career
St. Louis Rams (2005-2006)
The St. Louis Rams selected Fitzpatrick in the seventh round (250th overall) of the 2005 NFL draft. On July 18, 2005, the Rams signed Fitzpatrick to a three-year, $953,000 contract. Throughout training camp, he competed for a roster spot against Jeff Smoker to be the Rams' third-string quarterback. Head coach Mike Martz named Fitzpatrick the third-string quarterback on the depth chart to begin his rookie season, behind Marc Bulger and Jamie Martin.
Fitzpatrick's NFL debut on November 27, 2005, was a memorable one. Entering the game in the second quarter against the Houston Texans to replace injured veteran journeyman Jamie Martin, he completed 19 of 30 passes for 310 yards and three touchdowns, earning a 117.4 quarterback rating. He led the Rams from a 24-3 halftime deficit to a 33-27 overtime road victory and earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance. This made Fitzpatrick one of only eight players who passed for more than 300 yards in their NFL debut.
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Cincinnati Bengals (2007-2008)
Due to an elbow injury to starting quarterback Carson Palmer, Fitzpatrick made his first Bengals start on September 28, 2008, against the Cleveland Browns.
Buffalo Bills (2009-2012)
Fitzpatrick made his first appearance on October 18, 2009, against the New York Jets when starter Trent Edwards went down with an injury. On November 18, 2009, Fitzpatrick was named the starter by interim head coach Perry Fewell who took over the coaching duties after former head coach Dick Jauron was fired. Fitzpatrick went 3-3 as a starter under Fewell, throwing for 1,060 yards, seven touchdowns, and six interceptions. Fitzpatrick went 5-4 in games where he had a majority of the playing time for a team that finished with a 6-10 record. New head coach Chan Gailey decided to go with Trent Edwards as the starter for the 2010 season, relegating Fitzpatrick to the backup role.
During a Week 11 49-31 comeback road victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, Fitzpatrick threw for 316 yards and four touchdowns, including three to Stevie Johnson, and two interceptions. Despite the Bills finishing at 4-12 (4-9 with him at quarterback), Fitzpatrick recorded at least one touchdown pass in 13 consecutive games and becoming the first Bills quarterback to pass for at least 3,000 yards in a season since J. P.
After the 2011 season, it was revealed that Fitzpatrick had broken his ribs in a game against the Washington Redskins, which was presumably a factor in his decline in play over the rest of the season. Following Chan Gailey's firing after the season, Bills general manager Buddy Nix was the victim of a prank call in which he inadvertently revealed that he was unhappy with Fitzpatrick's contract, stating "we just can't afford to pay that kind of money for a guy who's fighting for probably a backup job". Despite the nature of his departure from the Bills and having a losing record with Buffalo, Fitzpatrick and Bills Mafia continue to hold each other in high esteem. "I don't know that I've ever felt more at home in a stadium or with a fanbase. I was in Buffalo for four years, but those are my people.
Tennessee Titans (2013)
During a Week 4 38-13 victory over the New York Jets, Fitzpatrick made his Titans debut, replacing an injured Jake Locker in the third quarter. Fitzpatrick played in 11 games and started in nine of them. He finished the season with a 3-6 record as the starting quarterback, beating division rivals Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans in the final two games of the season.
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Houston Texans (2014)
On November 23, 2014, Mallett tore his pectoral muscle and Fitzpatrick was renamed the starter. During a Week 13 45-21 victory over the Tennessee Titans, Fitzpatrick threw for 358 yards and a franchise-record six touchdowns and 358 yards for a 147.5 passer rating. He earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance against the Titans. Two weeks later against the Indianapolis Colts, Fitzpatrick scrambled for a two-yard gain in the second quarter, was tripped up, and left the eventual 17-10 loss with a fractured left tibia, ending his season.
New York Jets (2015-2016)
On March 11, 2015, Fitzpatrick was traded to the New York Jets for a late-round conditional draft pick in the 2015 NFL draft. The move reunited Fitzpatrick with his former head coach Chan Gailey, who was hired during the off-season as the Jets offensive coordinator and play-caller. During the first quarter of a Week 8 34-20 loss to the Oakland Raiders, Fitzpatrick suffered torn ligaments in his left thumb while scrambling and did not play for the remainder of the game, being relieved by Geno Smith.
Having started in all 16 games of the 2015 season, Fitzpatrick finished with 3,905 passing yards, 31 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions, breaking Vinny Testaverde's 1998 franchise record for most touchdown passes in a season. During the narrow season-opening 23-22 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Fitzpatrick threw for 189 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. In the next game on Thursday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills, he gradually improved with 374 passing yards and a touchdown, leading the Jets to a 37-31 victory to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. The following week against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Jets committed eight turnovers, including Fitzpatrick throwing six interceptions. Petty was then named the starter for the final four games of the season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2017-2018)
During a Week 6 38-33 road loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Fitzpatrick entered the game after starter Jameis Winston suffered a shoulder injury in the second quarter. During the season-opening 48-40 road victory over the New Orleans Saints, Fitzpatrick completed 21 of 28 passes for a career-high 417 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for 36 yards and a touchdown, finishing with a 156.2 quarterback rating. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. In the next game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Fitzpatrick completed 27 of 33 passes for 402 yards and four touchdowns, finishing with a 144.4 quarterback rating despite an interception (which was after a juggle his receiver made) as the Buccaneers won by a score of 27-21. He earned his second consecutive NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.
Fitzpatrick's unexpectedly incredible performance during the first two weeks of the season revived his "Fitzmagic" nickname. The following week against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football, Fitzpatrick finished with 411 passing yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions as the Buccaneers lost by a score of 30-27. He became the first player in NFL history to throw for over 400 yards in three consecutive games. During a Week 4 48-10 road loss to the Chicago Bears, Fitzpatrick's performance regressed as he only threw for 126 yards and an interception. During a Week 8 37-34 road loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Fitzpatrick relieved Winston at the end of the third quarter after Winston was benched after throwing for 276 yards, a touchdown, and four interceptions.
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Miami Dolphins (2019-2020)
During a narrow Week 6 17-16 loss to the Washington Redskins, Fitzpatrick relieved Rosen after the latter was benched for poor performance. Fitzpatrick threw for 132 yards and a touchdown. After leading Miami to a last-minute touchdown, he attempted a two-point conversion pass to Kenyan Drake, who dropped it, sealing the loss for Miami. Fitzpatrick started the next game against the Buffalo Bills, his former team, leading the Dolphins to a 14-9 halftime lead. However, after he threw an interception to cornerback Tre'Davious White, the Bills rallied in the fourth quarter to win. Fitzpatrick finished the 31-21 road loss with 282 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception to go along with six carries for 13 yards and a touchdown. Two weeks later against another of his former teams, the New York Jets, Fitzpatrick threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns as the Dolphins won their first game of the season by a score of 26-18.
During a Week 13 37-31 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, he threw for 365 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. Three weeks later against the Cincinnati Bengals, Fitzpatrick threw for 419 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception as the Dolphins won by a score of 38-35 in overtime. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Bengals. In the regular season finale against the Patriots, Fitzpatrick threw for 320 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 15 yards and a touchdown during the 27-24 road victory. The win denied the Patriots a first-round bye for the first time since 2009. He also played against Tom Brady in his final regular season game as a Patriot, as Brady would sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the offseason.
During the season-opening 21-11 road loss against the New England Patriots, Fitzpatrick threw for 191 yards and three interceptions. In the next game against the Buffalo Bills, he had 328 passing yards and two touchdowns as the Dolphins lost by a score of 31-28. The following week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Fitzpatrick threw for 160 yards and two touchdowns to go along with seven carries for 38 yards and a touchdown during the 31-13 victory. During a Week 11 20-13 road loss to the Denver Broncos, Fitzpatrick relieved Tagovailoa in the fourth quarter after he was benched for poor performance. During a narrow Week 16 26-25 road victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, Fitzpatrick was brought in to relieve Tagovailoa early in the fourth quarter after the latter was benched. Fitzpatrick led a game-winning drive where he found Mack Hollins for a 34-yard completion down while having his face mask pulled with 19 seconds left in the game and down 25-23 with no timeouts. The pass, coupled with the 15-yard face mask penalty, led to a game-winning field goal by Jason Sanders.
Washington Football Team (2021)
Fitzpatrick signed with the Washington Football Team in 2021 but suffered a season-ending hip injury in Week 1.
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