Ryan Fitzpatrick teams timeline: Full history of broadcaster's NFL career, from the Bills to the Jets

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• Ryan Fitzpatrick teams timeline
• Ryan Fitzpatrick career stats
• Ryan Fitzpatrick NFL highlights
• Why was Ryan Fitzpatrick called Fitzmagic?

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Fate seemed to consistently put Ryan Fitzpatrick in the right place at the right time during his 17-year NFL career.

The NFL's ultimate journeyman, Fitzpatrick spent time with nine teams, often joining as a likely backup before being thrust into a starting role. On more than one occasion, Fitzpatrick took that opportunity and ran with it, even if only temporarily.

From his longest sustained starting job in Buffalo to his flashes of brilliance in New York and Tampa Bay, Fitzpatrick saw it all despite never starting a playoff game.

Here's a complete look at Fitzpatrick's NFL career and each of his nine stops along the way.

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 Ryan Fitzpatrick teams timeline

St. Louis Rams (2005-06)

A seventh-round pick out of Harvard, Fitzpatrick joined the St. Louis Rams with distant odds of making an impact. After winning a competition to become St. Louis' third-string quarterback, however, injuries to both quarterbacks in front of Fitzpatrick on the depth chart thrust him into the spotlight. Fitzpatrick threw for 310 yards in his NFL debut despite not entering until the second quarter, leading the Rams to an overtime comeback win.

Fitzpatrick wasn't credited with the victory, as he didn't start, so his first official NFL win would have to wait: he was benched during his third start with the Rams and didn't see the field in 2006. 

Cincinnati Bengals (2007-08)

The Rams traded Fitzpatrick to the Cincinnati Bengals at the end of training camp in 2007, giving the third-year quarterback a fresh start in exchange for a seventh-round pick. Fitzpatrick spent the entire 2007 season behind Carson Palmer before replacing the injured Palmer early in the 2008 season. He started 12 games for the Bengals in 2008, posting a record of 4-7-1 and finishing the season on a three-game win streak. 

Buffalo Bills (2009-12)

Proving he could be a capable backup, Fitzpatrick landed a three-year deal with the Buffalo Bills and entered the 2009 season as the team's No. 2 quarterback behind starter Trent Edwards. After briefly replacing an injured Edwards, Fitzpatrick was handed the keys to the offense for the final six games of the season after coach Dick Jauron was fired midseason.

Despite going 4-4 on a team that finished 6-10, Fitzpatrick threw more interceptions than touchdowns and initially failed to earn the starting job in 2010. Edwards' final stint as the Bills' starter lasted all of two games until coach Chan Gailey elevated Fitzpatrick, sparking a run that would see Fitzpatrick remain Buffalo's quarterback all the way through the end of the 2012 season.

The Bills were never contenders with Fitzpatrick under center, but he threw at least 23 touchdown passes in each of his final three seasons with the organization.

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Tennessee Titans (2013)

With a new regime in place, the Bills opted to go in a different direction in 2013 and let Fitzpatrick hit the open market, where he secured a deal with the Tennessee Titans to replace Matt Hasselbeck and back up starter Jake Locker. Locker suffered a season-ending foot injury in November, forcing Fitzpatrick under center for the remainder of the season; he went 3-6 with 14 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. 

Houston Texans (2014)

Back on the open market, Fitzpatrick signed a two-year deal with the Houston Texans and was named the team's starting quarterback before the start of training camp. His run as a starter lasted two months, as coach Lovie Smith benched him for Ryan Mallett in November.

As fate would have it, Fitzpatrick ended up back under center in a matter of weeks due to a Mallett injury, and he threw a whopping six touchdown passes in his first start back. Fitzpatrick finished the season with a 6-6 record.

New York Jets (2015-16)

A new New York Jets regime wanted a veteran quarterback to join Geno Smith in 2015, and the fit between Fitzpatrick and offensive coordinator Chan Gailey -- his former head coach in Buffalo -- was ideal. The Jets and Texans swung a deal near the start of free agency to send the veteran to New York.

This is where Fitzpatrick's unlikely promotions to the starting job start to get weird. Todd Bowles insisted Smith would be the Jets' starter in 2015 until Smith was sucker punched by a teammate on Aug. 11 and suffered a broken jaw. Fitzpatrick instantly became the Jets' starter and turned in one of the best quarterback seasons in franchise history, throwing for 3,905 yards and 31 touchdowns while leading the Jets to 10 wins.

Despite the surprise success, Fitzpatrick ended the year on a low note when he struggled in a game against the Bills that could have clinched a playoff spot for the Jets. Fitzpatrick couldn't repeat that success in 2016, as he was benched twice — once for Geno Smith and once for Bryce Petty after re-entering for an injured Smith.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2017-18)

Fitzpatrick only started three games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2017 after joining as the backup to Jameis Winston, but the spotlight found him again when Winston was suspended for the first three games of the 2018 season. Fitzpatrick made all kinds of history in those three games, throwing for more than 400 yards in each and 10 touchdowns overall with wins over the Saints and Eagles.

Fitzpatrick kept the starting job over Winston even after throwing three interceptions in a narrow Week 3 loss to the Steelers, but he was benched during a quieter Week 4 start and was ineffective in three starters after Winston was benched in late October. 

Miami Dolphins (2019-20)

Fitzpatrick joined Brian Flores' Miami Dolphins in 2019 and won the starting job over Josh Rosen, going 5-8 with 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions over 13 starts. The Dolphins briefly benched Fitzpatrick after a dismal start to the season, but he replaced Rosen in October and held the job the rest of the way, largely overachieving low expectations the rest of the way.

Fitzpatrick beat out rookie Tua Tagovailoa for the starting job in 2020, but it was only a matter of time until the highly-touted Tagovailoa stepped in. Flores made the switch after Week 6, though Fitzpatrick saw occasional time under center down the stretch, even winning a key Week 16 game in relief of Tagovailoa.

Washington Football Team (2021)

The Washington Football Team, now known as the Washington Commanders, brought in Fitzpatrick to start over Taylor Heinicke in 2021, but his stint lasted all of one game due to a hip injury. Fitzpatrick ultimately decided to retire the following offseason. 

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Ryan Fitzpatrick career stats 

Season	Team	Starts	Record	Comp. rate	Yards	TD	INT
2005	Rams	3	0-3	56.3%	777	4	8
2006	Rams	0			0	0	0
2007	Bengals	0			0	0	0
2008	Bengals	12	4-7-1	59.4%	1,905	8	9
2009	Bills	8	4-4	55.9%	1,422	9	10
2010	Bills	13	4-9	57.8%	3,000	23	15
2011	Bills	16	6-10	62.0%	3,832	24	23
2012	Bills	16	6-10	60.6%	3,400	24	16
2013	Titans	9	3-6	62.0%	2,454	14	12
2014	Texans	12	6-6	63.1%	2,483	17	8
2015	Jets	16	10-6	59.6%	3,905	31	15
2016	Jets	11	3-8	56.6%	2,710	12	17
2017	Buccaneers	3	2-1	58.9%	1,103	7	3
2018	Buccaneers	7	2-5	66.7%	2,366	17	12
2019	Dolphins	13	5-8	62.0%	3,529	20	13
2020	Dolphins	7	4-3	68.5%	2,091	13	8
2021	Washington	1	0-1	50.0%	13	0	0
Career		147	59-87-1	60.7%	34,990	223	169

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Ryan Fitzpatrick NFL highlights

Fitzpatrick flashed some early Fitzmagic when he stepped in for Trent Edwards in Buffalo.

— Pay The Bills | A Trainwreck Sports Production (@PayTheBillsPod) October 18, 2024

Fitzpatrick's only six-touchdown game came with the Texans after replacing an injured Ryan Mallett:

Ryan Fitzpatrick threw six touchdowns as the Texans blew out the Titans in 2014. https://t.co/nbDbTb3w9W pic.twitter.com/lnJYaS9U8c

— big ounce (@_bigounce) February 3, 2024

The biggest win of Fitzpatrick's career was arguably the Jets' Week 16 upset of the New England Patriots in 2016, which temporarily put them in playoff position:

— New York Jets History (@nyjetshistory) September 16, 2024

No game might sum up the best of Fitzmagic better than his Week 1 win over the Saints in 2018:

— NFL (@NFL) September 6, 2024

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Why was Ryan Fitzpatrick called Fitzmagic?

Fitzpatrick's "Fitzmagic" nickname gathered steam as he showcased unexpected flashes of brilliance. 

Already an anomaly by carving out a long NFL career as a seventh-round pick from an Ivy League school, Fitzpatrick defied the odds with a six-touchdown game fresh off the bench for the Texans, a 31-touchdown season for the Jets and his unbelievable (but brief) run with the Buccaneers.

A quarterback known for some brilliant throws but plenty of reckless decisions, Fitzpatrick's flashes of success were dubbed "Fitzmagic" -- they just didn't often last very long.