2021 NFL Quarterback Power Rankings: How far ahead is Patrick Mahomes?
By Randy Gurzi
19. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Washington Football Team
When the 2021 season begins, Ryan Fitzpatrick will be the starter for his ninth NFL team. Drafted in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams, Fitzpatrick has become a journeyman who has never played for any team longer than four seasons — which he did with the Buffalo Bills from 2009 through 2012.
That was just his third stop in the NFL and since then, he has been with the Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans, New York Jets, and Tamp Bay Buccaneers before spending the past two seasons with the Miami Dolphins.
His best season was in 2015 with the Jets when he led them to a 10-6 mark and had 31 touchdowns and 3,905 yards passing. But he still has a lot of success in Miami, including last season when he went 4-3 as the starter while completing a career-best 68 percent of his passes with 2,091 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Fitzpatrick was benched at the bye week for rookie Tua Tagovailoa and after that happened he was understandably upset. The veteran felt as though he was finally the leader of a team and then it was all gone in the blink of an eye.
Now at 38-years of age, he has another shot at being the guy and he’s actually in a good spot. The Washington Football Team has a pretty solid roster and their head coach is one of the more respected in the game. Washington also won the NFC East last season despite going 7-9 and having Ron Rivera battle cancer during his first season coaching the team. Some will dismiss Fitzpatrick, but this could be a big season for him.