Ryan Fitzpatrick led the Dolphins to back-to-back wins and a .500 record, but it wasn’t enough to stave off the inevitable rise of Tua Tagovailoa. Now relegated to backup status, the veteran says he has not requested a trade (Twitter link via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald). At the same time, Fitzpatrick has yet to consider whether he’d be comfortable holding the clipboard beyond 2020.
[RELATED: Dolphins Turn To Tua Tagovailoa]
“I like playing more than I like sitting watching,” said Fitzpatrick, confessing and stating the obvious.
FitzMagic, 28 in November, was a bright spot for the Dolphins in an otherwise trying year. He racked up 3,529 passing yards with 20 touchdowns against 13 interceptions and helped cap off the year in style with wins over the Bengals and Patriots.
The veteran is under contract for 2020 with an $8MM salary. Currently positioned as a pricey backup, Fitzpatrick isn’t quite sure of what the future holds beyond this year. For now, he’ll focus on helping the former Alabama standout transition to the pro game.
Tagovailoa’s debut as the Dolphins’ starter will come after their bye week on Nov. 1 against the Rams.
Has Fitz ever asked to be traded?
38 not 28.
Cowboys could use him
I think you mean 38, he wishes he was 28 again
Fitzpatrick has been extremely vocal about embracing his mentor role and inevitably giving way to Tua, the Dolphins have no other experienced QB to go with their rookie coming off a serious injury, and they have an offensive line with a lot of questions. I can’t imagine they would trade Fitzpatrick during the season.
Fitzpatrick is the ultimate teammate. Supportive of Tia despite losing his starting position and putting up with some god-awful Jets, Titans, and Dolphins squads. He may not be the most consistent, but he’s the perfect backup. I secretly hope he takes over for an elite starter after a season-ending injury and carries said team to a Superbowl victory in a similar fashion to Nick Foles. He deserves a ring
If Washington traded for him they would easily win the division.
That’s actually true
Get paid millions to stand on the sidelines while living in Miami….Fitz is a smart guy, he won’t ask for a trade
It’s hard not to like Fitz because he has uncanny survival instincts. His play is generally mediocre but every season he delivers one or two “lights out” performances that convinces GMs that he still can be a valuable asset to the team. His passer rating against the Niners was better than the combined ratings of Rivers, Flacco and Smith in week 5.
Mediocre is a bit harsh. Ever since his stint with Houston years back, Fitz has been an above average starter who occasionally plays at a top ten level. Also consider the fact that he’s been playing on some consistently bad teams-the Texans pre-Watson, the Titans pre-Henry (pre-Mariota, even), the Bucs, and the Jets. I’d say that Fitz has proven that he can step in out of the blue and lead a bad offense to be at least competitive above their expected level.
I think Fitz is a much better locker room leader than fans give him credit for but he has never shaken the rep of being a streaky QB. He can be great one game then turn around and throw a game costing INT the next. Coaches never really know which Fitz they will see.
While that’s fair, his streaky-ness seems to have lessened considerably with age. The thing is, a bad game or two will refresh those concerns with Fitz in the way that it would not with a more established QB.
I’ll give you the streakiness, because it does occur, but I would instead say that Fitz’s ability to walk in as a bridge starter that no one really expects much of and confidently lead a bad team is quite valuable. He certainly deserves to be thought of as a quality player, especially being on so many different offenses with so many different teammates. to your point, he has a limited ceiling, and is not a long term starter, but he does turn in mostly quality play on pretty bad teams.
The most shot-out 28 year old I’ve ever seen.
How does the inexplicable labeling of Ryan Fitzpatrick, of all people, as 28 tears old make it through editing? And…How does it remain unchanged for close to 5 hours? I mean, we’re talking about 3-plus paragraphs here. Not exactly Atlas Shrugged.
Kinda like “28 tears”?