Commanders Ex Ryan Fitzpatrick Signs Deal With Amazon 'Thursday Night Football': Details
Former Washington quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick hung up his cleats earlier this offseason, retiring after 17 NFL seasons.
But he's trading in his playbook for a microphone on Amazon Prime Video's Thursday Night Football coverage.
Amazon Prime Video announced that Fitzpatrick would be officially joining the team after rumors were swirling throughout the offseason.
"Although my playing career has come to an end, my love for football has not," Fitzpatrick said in a statement. "I'm excited to start this new chapter with Thursday Night Football and looking forward to sharing my unique experiences and perspectives with football fans."
Fitzpatrick played for nine teams during his 17-year NFL career. He played for the St. Louis Rams (2005-06), Cincinnati Bengals (2007-08), Bills (2009-12), Tennessee Titans (2013), Houston Texans (2014), New York Jets (2015-16), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2017-18), Miami Dolphins (2019-20) and the Washington Football Team (2021).
Fitzpatrick was the Week 1 starter ahead of last season, but after suffering a hip subluxation in the first game of the season, the journeyman quarterback was placed on injured reserve.
Should he stay retired, that would have been the final play of his career.
Fitzpatrick was seen as a player who could help keep Washington in the playoff race after a 2020 NFC East title, but his injury set Washington's 2021 season into a tailspin that forced the team to play catchup from the start. Taylor Heinicke took over Fitzpatrick's starting duties for most of the season.
As a free agent, Fitzpatrick was waiting to see if there was any interest in him joining a team in 2022, but nobody was willing to sign the 39-year-old to a contract.
Washington had high hopes for Fitzpatrick, but those subsided during the season and any hopes of a return to the nation's capital were put to rest once the team traded for Carson Wentz earlier in the offseason.
And now Fitz moves on to create some TV magic.
The Washington Commanders play on Thursday Night Football in Week 6 against the Chicago Bears.
