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49ers should call on Ryan Fitzpatrick to replace Jimmy Garoppolo

By Sayre Bedinger

Aug 25, 2022; Houston, Texas, USA; Television analyst Ryan Fitzpatrick smiles before the game between the Houston Texans and the San Francisco 49ers at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 25, 2022; Houston, Texas, USA; Television analyst Ryan Fitzpatrick smiles before the game between the Houston Texans and the San Francisco 49ers at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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To who it may concern, Ryan Fitzpatrick has been working this season with Amazon Prime as one of their TV hosts for Thursday Night Football. Fitzpatrick, 40, was meant to be the starting quarterback all of last season for the Washington Football Team, but ended up getting hurt one game into the season and retired in 2022. He retired for good reason, too. Fitzpatrick got the nice TV gig with Amazon, but there’s reason to believe the San Francisco 49ers might make a call to his agent in the near future.

Sadly, the 49ers have had a second major injury at the quarterback position this season. After losing Trey Lance early on to a knee injury, the 49ers have now lost Jimmy Garoppolo to a broken foot which he suffered against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

49ers should make a call to Ryan Fitzpatrick ASAP

For the time being, this year’s “Mr. Irrelevant” — the last pick in the NFL Draft — is about to be extremely relevant for the 49ers. Brock Purdy, a former Iowa State quarterback, has been thrust into a major role for the time being and is coming off of a rather impressive debut, throwing two touchdowns and an interception in the 49ers’ win over Miami. With that being said, there are five more games this season. The 49ers have won five games in a row, they have one of the league’s best defenses, and they have some of the league’s best offensive playmakers.

With Kyle Shanahan coaching the operation, is there a better opportunity for Fitzpatrick to vacate his spot at the TNF table for another shot at NFL glory? As an NFL player, Ryan Fitzpatrick was part of 59 victories and a whopping 87 losses. He played for teams like the Jets, Texans, Commanders, Bengals, Bills, Titans…basically, Fitzpatrick almost ran the table of playing for teams that have never won a Super Bowl in franchise history.

The 49ers have the Seattle Seahawks nipping at their heels right now. The Seahawks improved to 7-5 over the weekend, while the 49ers improved to 8-4. Although Brock Purdy is going to be counted on to hold down the fort for a game or two, there’s absolutely no reason for Shanahan and John Lynch to just stay where they are at.

It might be bold to make a call to Ryan Fitzpatrick, but the guy has been known for stretches of play in his career where he’s simply dominant. It’s become known as “Fitz-magic” even if the grizzled veteran can’t seem to sustain that level of play for an elongated period of time.

As we see on TV, Fitzpatrick’s beard is in midseason form. Is he physically prepared to come back to the NFL, though? That’s a fair question and one that will obviously determine whether or not something like this can happen. As of right now, though, Fitzpatrick is about as interesting and relevant of a name out there as the 49ers could ask for.

Even if it means calling him out of his cushy pre-game chair and putting him back in the pocket.