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When Ryan Fitzpatrick had his NFL dreams, he wanted what every kid wanted.
Fitzpatrick hoped to stay with one team for his entire career, but as he recently told PK Press Club Digital, “That’s just not my story.”
Instead, Fitzpatrick holds the NFL record for nine separate teams and has plenty of other quirks when it comes to suiting up for nearly a third of NFL organizations.
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New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) returns to pass against the Tennessee Titans during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium on December 13, 2015. (Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports)
“I always wanted to play. So everywhere I went, it was usually with the intention of becoming a starter and playing somewhere. Then, inevitably, someone would get drafted, and I would go play somewhere else because I was a guy that loved being on the field and not sitting on the bench watching,” Fitzpatrick said. “So that’s how I was going to be able to do that, was to keep moving from one team to the next.”
It was certainly an unorthodox career, and Fitzpatrick is the definition of a “journeyman”, as he played for the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, St. Louis Rams, Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans and Washington Commanders.
But “I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
“A lot of it is the number of teammates I’ve been able to have, but it’s also the travel I’ve been able to take with my wife and my kids, and all the cool people we’ve met outside of football,” Fitzpatrick said.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick celebrates his game-winning touchdown pass to Mike Gesicki in the second half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
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“Our neighbors and friends, there are relationships in every town that we’ll keep forever. So, yeah, I think when people get drafted, they all have the idea that they’re going to be with the same team for their entire career. That’s just not my story. I wouldn’t change it for the world because I absolutely loved every second of it.”
Those connections have helped Fitzpatrick off the field, as he will once again be one of several celebrities competing in this month’s American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe. This year, he teamed up with Performance Golf to lower his handicap by a few strokes in hopes of moving to the top of the leaderboard.
“The American Century is so much fun. It’s a great group of guys and girls that play, and it really feels like a family because everyone comes every year,” Fitzpatrick said.
Ryan Fitzpatrick watches TNF on Prime before an NFL football game between the Buffalo Bills and the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on November 20, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
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“You get to hang out together, and that’s how it is with the golf course. It’s just a little bit different than a golf tournament, A, because we’re not all great golfers, but B, because of the interactions we have with the fans throughout the tournament. That’s probably my favorite part.”
