Ryan Fitzpatrick is a quarterback in the NFL admired for his incredible skills. His accomplishments in the NFL has come as no surprise as he had a stellar record in high school and college. Thanks to being a professional American footballer, Ryan has amassed quite a large net worth over the years. Since he kicked off his career with the St. Louis Rams after the team drafted him in 2005, the quarterback has landed deals with several other top teams in the league, with the recent being the Miami Dolphins.
NFL Rookie Season and Time With The Rams
Notable as an Ivy League Player of the Year winner back in Harvard, Fitzpatrick was picked by the St. Louis Rams in the 2005 NFL draft and went on to sign a 3 year deal with the team on July 18th, 2005.
After several months of training, he made his NFL debut on November 27, 2005, in a game against the Houston Texans. The budding quarterback led the Rams to seal a 33-27 win, recording 3 touchdowns and 310 yards throw. For his contribution to achieving the win, he was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week and ranked among the 8 NFL players as at then to pass more than 300 yards in a debut game.
Throughout his rookie year, he was seen in 4 games in which he started 3, and he was the first quarterback from Harvard to start a game in the NFL.
However, in the 2006 season, Fitzpatrick’s career stats nosedived. He appeared in only one game and that was the season finale against the Minnesota Vikings; he stepped in for Marc Bulger and throughout his time on the pitch, he recorded no points until the game ended in a 41-21 win.
The Rams trading him to the Cincinnati Bengals the following season.
Cincinnati Bengals (2007 – 2008)
The quarterback joined the Bengals on September 1st, 2007. Again, he featured in only one game and did not record any points for that season. Nonetheless, he was able to sign a 1-year deal with the Bengals on April 17, 2008, and made his first start for the team on September 28th, against the Cleveland Browns.
Although Fitzpatrick recorded very impressive stats as both the leading rusher and passer during the game, his team was still defeated in a 20-12 loss.
The total games Ryan played in the 2008 season was 13, in which he started 12. He recorded a career-high of 304 rushing yards, 60 attempted rushes, and 11 fumbles. He became a free agent again at the end of the season as his 1-year contract with the Bengals ended without a renewal.
Buffalo Bills (2009 – 2012)
Fitzpatrick was signed by the Buffalo Bills on February 27, 2009, for a 3-year contract worth $7.405 million. His first game was on October 18, against the New York Jets which ended in a 16-13 win; even though he did not start that game.
Eventually, he started a total of 8 games out of the 10 he played in that season. It is also known that in the game against the Cincinnati Bengals that season, Ryan threw for 316 yards and made 4 touchdowns. The game which ended in a 49-31 win also made history in the NFL as the Bills made an impressive come back to win by a massive 18 points from 17 points down.
In the next season, Fitzpatrick continued to soar in his career as he passed for 3,000 yards in 13 games which made him the first Buffalo Bills quarterback to record such a feat since J.P Losman back in 2006. He also recorded impressive stats in the 2011 season which he ended with 3,832 passing yards in 16 games with 24 touchdowns. His impressive performance landed him the title of AFC Offensive Player of the Month (September) and the next month, his contract was extended for 6 years.
However, the player broke his ribs by the end of 2011 which lingered into the 2012 season and it affected his performance. Fitzpatrick ended his 2012 season with 24 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, and 3,400 yards throw. He was dropped at the end of the season, on March 12, 2013, shortly after Bills’ Head Coach Chan Gailey was fired.
Tennessee Titans (2013)
The Tennessee Titans lured Ryan to join their team on a 2-year deal. In his first game, he led his team to victory against the New York Jets. He played in a total of 11 games, starting 9.
His career stats included 2,454 throwing yards, 14 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. The Titans released Ryan Fitzpatrick at the end of that season on March 14, 2014, to acquire Charlie Whitehurst.
Houston Texans (2014)
A few days after the Titans dropped him, Fitzpatrick signed a 2-year contract with the Houston Texans. He became the starting quarterback for the team a few months later, but lost the position that year to Ryan Mallett.
But then, due to an injury Mallett sustained on November 23, 2014, Ryan resumed as the starter of the team. He led the team in a win against the Titans in week 13 of the season, during which he made 6 touchdowns, and threw for 358 yards. This earned him the AFC Offensive Player of the Week title.
Sometime in December 2014, the quarterback fractured his left tibia in a game against the Indianapolis Colts. The injury ended his season as well as his stay with the Texans as he was traded to the New York Jets the following season.
New York Jets (2015 -2016)
Ryan Fitzpatrick’s trade to the Jets was concluded on March 11, 2015, and he reunited with his former head coach, Chan Gailey from the Buffalo Bills, who was serving as the offensive coordinator for the Jets.
The talented quarterback played in all the 16 games for the 2015 season and he started all. He also finished the season with sterling stats as he recorded 3,905 passing yards, 31 passing touchdowns, and 15 interceptions which made him set a new NFL record for most touchdown passes made in a season.
Fitzpatrick went on to sign a 1-year deal with the Jets for $12 million in 2016 which was fully guaranteed. He featured in 14 games, starting 11 which saw him attain 2,710 passing yards, 17 interceptions, and 12 touchdowns.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2017 – 2018)
The Buccaneers signed Ryan on May 19, 2017, on a 1-year contract worth $3 million. In week 6 of the 2017 season, he replaced the Buccaneers’ starter, Jameis Winston, in a game against the Arizona Cardinals after he sustained a shoulder injury.
Fitzgerald started 3 games out of the 6 he played that season. His passing yards were 1,103 and he recorded 7 touchdowns alongside 3 interceptions.
The quarterback was offered a contract extension with the team on March 9, 2018, and since Winston was given a 3 game suspension, Fitzpatrick served as the starting quarterback for the team in 7 out of the 8 games he played. He completed the season with 2,366 passing yards, 12 interceptions, and 17 passing touchdowns.
Miami Dolphins (2019)
For the 2019 season, Ryan Fitzpatrick struck a 2-year deal with the Miami Dolphins on March 18, 2019, which was worth $11 million. He was also named the starting quarterback of the team, replacing Josh Rosen. He played in a total of 15 games that season in which he started 13. He also recorded a total of 3,529 passing yards, 13 interceptions, 20 passing touchdowns, alongside 243 rushing yards and a career-high of 4 rushing touchdowns, making him the lead rusher of the Dolphins in the recently concluded 2019 season.
Ryan Fitzpatrick Is Married to His College Sweetheart
The NFL star has an interesting love story with his wife Liza Barber. The pair met at Harvard University and dated for about a year before deciding to take it a step further in 2005.
Their engagement was quite a hilarious event as reports have it that the quarterback nearly blew his surprise engagement on the day he wanted to propose. Ryan had taken money from their joint savings to buy an engagement ring.
As such, Liza’s card was rejected at a store the same day Ryan wanted to propose which put him in an awkward situation; he had to explain why their savings account was short of money. To avoid ruining the occasion, he improvised and proposed at a McDonald’s eatery before they got home.
How The Couple Manage Their Large Family
The pair walked down the aisle sometime in 2006 and have been living quite a blissful married life. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Liza have also managed to grow quite a large family made up of their 7 lovely kids named Ruby, Maizy, Zoey, Lucy, Tate, Brady, and Jackie whom they welcomed in 2019.
Liza is a full-time mom saddled with the responsibility of caring for their kids. She often ensures they attend Ryan’s games, even if she has to personally drive them all to the game. With a large family like his, the NFL player revealed in an interview that there is always a plan mapped out to cater to the young ones.
Nonetheless, it is always chaos, especially during festive periods. During festive periods, the couple ensures all the necessary preparations are made before their kids get up from the bed. They would then proceed to feed them, after which they get to open their gifts.
