Fitzpatrick Not Done Just Yet

Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has not given up on the idea of playing again in 2021

Don't count out Ryan Fitzpatrick just yet.

The veteran Miami Dolphins quarterback, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent March 17, is looking to continue playing, according to a person close to the situation.

This certainly is more in line with Fitzpatrick's comments during Super Bowl week than a recent report suggesting he was leaning toward retirement.

"There’s rumors everywhere in the quarterback market, but there’s a lot of teams that are looking for a new quarterback or a quarterback," Fitzpatrick said on The Pat McAfee Show during Super Bowl week. "For me personally, I have to take every offseason now and just reassess and I know these last two years have really re-lit that fire under me and I still want to play.

"And I enjoy being out there playing, (but) things are little bit more complicated for me now with my oldest going into high school and six little ones trailing behind him. There’s a lot of thought that has to go into this thing, but I still love playing the game.”

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Because of his desire to compete for a starting job and because the Dolphins likely aren't going to want Tua Tagovailoa looking over his shoulder, it has been expected that Fitzpatrick will be leaving Miami after two seasons.

Among teams that have been mentioned as potential landing spots for Fitzpatrick are New England, Denver, Washington and Philadelphia, though the Eagles might not be a logical destination anymore after the report from ESPN's Chris Mortensen that Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie wants second-year player — and former Tagovailoa Alabama teammate — Jalen Hurts as the team's starting quarterback.

Fitzpatrick's two-year stint with the Dolphins has to be considered a success for the 38-year-old Harvard alum.

He was team MVP in 2019 when he passed for 3,529 yards and led the team in rushing and then followed that in 2020 by setting a career high in completion percentage at 68.5. His passer rating of 95.6 in 2020 was the second-best of his career, behind only the 100.4 he posted in 2018 in his second of two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Fitzpatrick said more than once during his time in Miami that he felt he was playing the best football of his career, and he's looking to continue his late-career surge — even if it's with a different team.