Ryan Fitzpatrick’s hip injury sadly drove retirement decision

Once upon a time, the Washington Commanders were in the market for a quarterback last offseason. When the dust settled, they settled on journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick, who generated palpable excitement amongst fans after he signed.

After all, Washington ran out four QBs in 2020 and managed to win the NFC East crown, albeit with a lowly seven wins. With a grizzled vet like Fitzpatrick presiding over the offense, surely the team would see a vast improvement, right?

Unfortunately, fans will never know if Fitz’s magic would be sprinkled over Washington, as he sustained a season-ending hip injury in Week 1. In a matter of seconds, he played his last down for the franchise after just 16 snaps.

After struggling to generate interest as a 39-year-old quarterback coming off hip surgery, Fitzpatrick retired from the NFL earlier this month.

The moment Fitz was ruled out for the season, retirement became a real possibility and the Harvard product revealed that the grueling rehab process and being away from the team drove his decision to hang up his cleats.

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1534256039134220290

Former Commanders QB Ryan Fitzpatrick revealed his hip injury influenced his decision to retire.

Fitzpatrick joined “The Adam Schefter Podcast” a few days after former Bills teammate Fred Jackson broke the retirement news and disclosed that rehabbing away from the team was a driving force in his decision.

"Last year for me kind of ended up being a preview for what was to come. After I got hurt — and with the trainer situation in Washington — I was pretty much removed from the team probably three to four weeks after my injury.It was kind of a rehab for an hour or two each day, but I was removed from the day-to-day, the meetings, the football and being involved with that. It gave me a glimpse into the future of what retirement would look like. It drove my wife crazy, but I think it was a good preview for what was to come. It was time and I’m ready for it."

That is utterly heartbreaking. Yes, at 39 and unlikely to find a starting job in 2022, Fitzpatrick was likely to be considering retirement anyway. But the fact his hip subluxation, which didn’t heal properly, is what gave him a glimpse into what retirement would look like really makes you sick to your stomach.

Professional athletes, especially ones as respected as Fitz, are supposed to walk away from the game on their own terms; not be forced into the decision. It just goes to show that only a select few pros actually have that luxury.

Despite all of that, Fitz is at peace with the injury.

"“That part (spending time with loves ones) for me, being able to leave that all behind and be present when I was home, during the season especially … it was a great thing for me and a blessing in disguise with the injury.”"

While Washington will go down as a just a blip on the radar of Fitzpatrick’s well-traveled career, he’ll always have a special place in fans’ hearts. We wish things turned out differently, but we’re happy Fitz has made peace with the injury and wish him nothing but the best in retirement, whether that involves being a full-time dad or giving back to the NFL by joining the broadcast booth.