There comes a time when the game has passed a player by. That can come at a multitude of points and no two stories are ever the same. For instance, just look at what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have dealt with this offseason. 44-year-old quarterback Tom Brady and 29-year-old offensive guard Ali Marpet retired from the sport. Thankfully for the Buccaneers, Brady reversed his decision and is back for another super bowl run.
However, another quarterback with ties to Tampa Bay is reportedly set to join Marpet on the sidelines. According to multiple reports, veteran quarterback and former Buccaneer, Ryan Fitzpatrick, has chosen to retire. Fitzpatrick spent the 2021 season with Washington, the ninth team he played for during his career.
The former Harvard star's professional career was certainly eventful. After being drafted by the St. Louis Rams in 2005, Fitzpatrick started games for all nine franchises that he spent time with. He is the only quarterback in NFL history to throw at least one touchdown and one interception for eight different teams. Fitzpatrick almost made it nine in 2021 but failed to get enough playing time, recording just six pass attempts.
Fitzpatrick signed with Tampa Bay in 2017 to back up former No. 1 overall selection, Jameis Winston. He played sparingly throughout the year, starting three games while Winston recovered from various injuries. The following season, Winston was suspended for the first three games and Fitzpatrick made the most of it.
The 6-foot-2, 228-pound quarterback came out slinging in a 48-40 win over New Orleans in week one where he passed for 417 yards and four touchdowns. A week later, Fitzpatrick eclipsed 400 passing yards again as he recorded four more touchdown passes to lead the Buccaneers to a 2-0 start. Though Tampa Bay fell the following week to Pittsburgh, Fitzpatrick earned the honor of being the first quarterback in league history to have three consecutive games with 400 or more passing yards.
The lightning in a bottle performance helped the popular 'Fitzmagic' moniker come alive. Winston and Fitzpatrick traded off starts for the remainder of the year but those first three games were a moment that had the entire fanbase buzzing.
During his two years with the Buccaneers, Fitzpatrick totaled 3,469 passing yards with 24 touchdowns to 15 interceptions in 14 appearances with ten starts. Over his career, he played in 166 games and racked up 34,990 passing yards with 223 touchdowns to 98 interceptions.
It's expected that Fitzpatrick will look to go down the same path as other former quarterbacks such as Tony Romo and Drew Brees. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Amazon is targeting Fitzpatrick to play a key role in its coverage this fall. There will still be plenty of opportunities for Fitzmagic to make an impact.
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