ESPN reporter Adam Schefter has shared an incredible image of Ryan Fitzpatrick that shows his remarkable transformation through the years.
After 17 years in the league, the man that they call ‘Fitzmagic’ has decided that he is going to hang up his cleats and walk off into the sunset.
It’s a sunset that sees him walk away from a rather remarkable and unique career in the NFL, one that saw him play for the then St Louis Rams, Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders.
During that time he has certainly left his mark on the league in more ways than one, both with what he has done on the field, as well as what he was able to do off it.
More than just a quarterback
To say that he has brought a lot to the game of football might be something of an understatement, because whilst he has bounced around the league a lot, never quite able to cement a legacy with one particular team in the same way that Aaron Rodgers has, his mark on the game is certainly a sizeable one.
During his career in which he started 147 games, he managed to put up 34,990 passing yards - which ranks 32nd all-time amongst quarterbacks - he put up 223 touchdowns to 169 intercpetions, but somehow came out with a losing record in his career at 59−87−1, which is perhaps an indictment on the teams he played for.
But later in his career he became known for something more than just his play, and that was his character, which often revolved around some rather interesting outfit choices, as well as his beard which has become one of the more iconic pieces of facial hair in NFL history:
Going through changes
ESPN put up a graphic of how he has changed over the years, taking his official photos from every team that he was on and putting them side by side to show his transformation over the past 17 seasons, and it’s fair to say that the transformation has been pretty remarkable, especially when it comes to his beard:
It’s not quite on the level as someone like Tom Brady, but it’s still a great insight into what 17 years in the league looks like.
Reports are suggesting that he could be in line for a gig in TV with Amazon for their coverage, and if he can bring the same personality to that as he did to the gridiron, then he’s should be in for a fine career moving forward.