Bucs Gameday

Ryan Fitzpatrick Disputes Tom Brady's Status as the GOAT

The former Buccaneer instead believes that title should belong to Brady's biggest rival.

Collin Haalboom

For someone who has always avoided the limelight, Ryan Fitzpatrick is someone who always seems to end up there, anyway. 

He's undoubtedly one of the most glorified backup quarterbacks in the history of the sport. Part of the reason for that is not only because he played for nine different teams over the course of his 17-year NFL career, but because he ended up starting for the majority of those teams at one point or another.

READ MORE: Tom Brady doesn’t deny Miami Dolphins rumor

He's notorious for his explosive, prolific and volatile performances on the field. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, but always entertaining. 

Whenever Fitz came running onto the field — or the post-game podium for that matter — fans knew they were going to get a show. In fact, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' fanbase is as well acquainted with this side of Fitzpatrick as anyone. 

Cue the "Fitzmagic"... 

So when Ryan Fitzpatrick announced his retirement, he did so in a very unique, fitzy, sort-of-way.  The news broke from a tweet at the hands of Fred Jackson, his former teammate with the Buffalo Bills.

READ MORE: Tom Brady reveals the biggest hit he’s ever taken

With the name of every teammate he had every played with in the NFL included, Fitz and his son created an image for him to send out to many of those teammates via text. 

It's definitely a low-key, unassuming way for his retirement announcement to be made. But as is often the case with Fitzpatrick, and like I said earlier, he always ends up in the spotlight in the end. 

Kind words, tweets, pictures, videos and memories began to flood the internet shortly after the news broke. Many of which included that infamous post-game press conference from his time in Tampa (shown above). 

After the dust settled following the news of his retirement, and just when you finally thought he might fade off into the distance, Fitzpatrick has since found a way back into the headlines. This time, for a reason that is far less endearing to Bucs fans than that press conference he conducted in DeSean Jackson's clothes back in Week 2 of the 2018 season. 

In a "retirement press conference" he held with Adam Schefter on his podcast earlier this week, Fitzpatrick offered a very unconventional opinion on the topic of who is the greatest quarterback of all time. 

"My favorite quarterback I got to play against was Peyton Manning," Fitzpatrick said. "Peyton had the laser focus and everything else. I think Peyton is the greatest quarterback to ever live."

If you listen to the interview, it's clear that he wasn't trying to disrespect Tom Brady, as he also made a point of complimenting the player who most people believe is the undisputed greatest quarterback of all time.

"I think Tom Brady is the greatest champion, but I think Peyton is the greatest quarterback to ever live."

Adam Schefter included a link to the entire interview in his tweet promoting the discussion with Fitzpatrick. Which you can access here. 

I have great respect for Peyton Manning. I also have great respect for Ryan Fitzpatrick. That said, I strongly disagree with his assessment that Tom Brady is not the greatest of all time. After all, the primary objective of the game is to win. Which is something that Tom Brady has done more of than any quarterback in the history of the sport. And he's done it while putting up some of the most prolific passing numbers the league has ever seen. 

But at the end of the day, after all he has given the sport of football, Ryan Fitzpatrick is, at the very least, entitled to his own opinion on who is the greatest quarterback of all time. 

Even if he's wrong. 

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the offseason.

For more Tampa Bay Buccaneers content, make sure to follow Collin Haalboom on Twitter, and check out the Bucs Banter Podcast. 

Follow BucsGameday on Twitter and Facebook

Published
Collin Haalboom
COLLIN HAALBOOM

Prior to joining BucsGameday and Sports Illustrated, Collin's written content was provided through Bucs Banter, and NFL Draft Lounge. He is also the creator and host of the Bucs Banter Podcast. He is a graduate of the Communication Studies program at McMaster University, where he was also a varsity basketball player, and later an advanced scout. He lives with his wife and two children in Hamilton, ON. You can follow Collin on YouTube and Twitter.