With Alex Smith recently joining ESPN as an NFL analyst, there are only two quarterbacks from the 2005 draft class that are still playing in the league.
One of them is Aaron Rodgers who was drafted No. 24 overall by the Green Bay Packers.
The other one, and quite surprisingly, is Ryan Fitzpatrick who was the last quarterback drafted that year.
The St. Louis Rams took the Harvard alum in the seventh round and he was the last quarterback selected.
Then and now, Harvard serves as a bastion for intelligence and innovation.
16 years into his career, Fitzpatrick takes those values by heart through performing the role that’s asked of him.
✅ Rams
✅ Bengals
✅ Bills
✅ Titans
✅ Texans
✅ Jets
✅ Bucs
✅ Dolphins
✅ WFTRyan Fitzpatrick got jokes 😂 pic.twitter.com/BaOju2gHva
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 18, 2021
Last year, he was Fitzmagic from the bench for a Miami Dolphins squad that nearly made the playoffs.
In the upcoming season, he will be the top quarterback for the Washington Football Team that is looking to dominate the NFC East.
As the Arizona native extends his career, here are the best seasons from his storybook run.
3. 2012 – Buffalo Bills
This was Fitzpatrick’s fourth year in Buffalo and he won the starting quarterback role over Tarvaris Jackson and Tyler Thigpen.
His skill players included Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller from the backfield with Chris Hogan and Stevie Johnson as wideouts.
The Bills won two of their first three games but ended the season with 10 losses.
Still, Fitzpatrick’s stat line was solid even if they did not make the playoffs.
He completed 306 passes out of 505 tries for a 60.6 completion rate and also tallied 3,400 yards.
Fitzpatrick threw for 24 touchdowns and 16 touchdowns.
However, those numbers were not enough to keep his job.
He was traded to the Tennessee Titans the following year, while Buffalo drafted eventual starter EJ Manuel in the 2013 draft.
2. 2020 – Miami Dolphins
His numbers this season were far from his production in previous years.
But this is one of his best years because of the miracles he pulled out.
“Ryan Fitzpatrick replaced a healthy Tua Tagovailoa with just under 10 minutes left and the Dolphins down only 16-13. And all Fitzpatrick did in three drives was throw for 182 yards and a TD, keeping Miami’s playoff hopes very much alive.”
https://t.co/nYfrcljUCo— Ryan Browne (@rabrowne75) December 27, 2020
He won the starting job over Tua Tagovailoa before the season started.
Unfortunately, head coach Brian Flores made the switch in Week 8.
However, Tagovailoa also had some struggles during his time as the top quarterback.
That’s when Fitzpatrick unleashed his magic to keep the Miami Dolphins in playoff contention.
Sadly, the Dolphins did not make it to the postseason despite winning 10 games.
But Fitzpatrick gave Dolphins fans something to cheer for every time he took the field like a closing pitcher.
He won four of the seven games he started and finished the season with 2,091 yards and 13 touchdowns.
1. 2015 – New York Jets
Hands down, this is Fitzpatrick’s best season of his career.
The Houston Texans traded him to the New York Jets for a compensatory late-round draft pick.
Geno Smith owned the starting quarterback role until a locker room fight left him with a broken jaw.
That was the opening Fitzpatrick was waiting and he did not disappoint.
He started all 16 games and won 10.
Fitzpatrick had career highs of 3,905 yards and 31 touchdowns during that season.
Unfortunately, the Jets did not make the playoffs because the Pittsburgh Steelers took the final Wild Card spot.
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