If you didn't like my Mitch Trubisky idea for the Buffalo Bills' backup quarterback job, I'm sure you'll love this one.
The return of "FitzMagic".
Nostalgia. Lots of fun. A relationship with Josh Allen. Gives you a chance to win if disaster strikes.
Ryan Fitzpatrick checks all the boxes for what the Bills should want in a backup quarterback.
Fitz would be a wild ride as a backup. If he had to enter a game that mattered, I'd want to assume it wouldn't go well, while not ruling out Fitzpatrick carrying the team on his back to a win.
He would, at least, give fans more confidence, should Allen ever get injured than they would with Matt Barkley.
Fitz presents much more in his game than Barkley does. The ability to create off-script, create with his feet, and create with his sheer willingness to throw passes only Allen and Patrick Mahomes would dream of attempting makes him as dynamic a backup you can have.
Fitzpatrick really hasn't changed. While other quarterbacks in their late 30s, early 40s like Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers, and Drew Brees have taken big steps back and are entering, or have entered retirement, Fitz is the same guy he's always been.
In seven starts and some relief innings with the Miami Dolphins last season, Fitzpatrick averaged 250 yards per-game, scored 15 touchdowns, threw eight interceptions, and managed a winning record of 4-3.
He certainly has the ability to keep the ship afloat while Allen would recover from a hypothetical injury.
The Bills with Fitzpatrick having to play might actually be a decent team. Fitz has a reputation for always giving star receivers a chance to make plays. The likes of Stefon Diggs would still be a huge part of the offense.
Terrell Owens, Mike Evans, and others have called Fitzpatrick their favorite quarterback they've ever played with because of that. He'll always put the ball up and give you a shot at it.
What Barkley has over many of these other backup quarterback ideas is a relationship with Allen, but Fitzpatrick isn't to be disqualified on this.
Allen and Fitzpatrick have known each other now for years. Allen had this to say on Fitzpatrick last year:
“I’ve gotten to know 'Fitz' over the last couple years and got to hang around and spend some time with him, and he’s just a hats-off guy,”
“I actually got the chance to meet him at The Masters before I got drafted and he called it. He said, 'You’re going to Buffalo.'"
The biggest question with Fitz is his own motivation. Fitzpatrick has been very clever throughout his career picking teams with vulnerable starters, so that he can take over himself.
The Bills are not that.
There likely will be opportunities around the league for Fitzpatrick. He can be someone's Plan B that doesn't land their guy in the trade market or free agency.
What if the New England Patriots or Chicago Bears are left without a dance partner? Enter Fitz.
Make no doubts about it, retirement is not an option for Fitzpatrick either. He told the Pat McAfee Show last week that he wants to come back in 2021, and that he would even consider playing for New England.
The only chance Fitzpatrick ends up on the Bills is if he has the desire to end his career in Buffalo. That could appeal to him.
Fitzpatrick said this on the Adam Schefter Podcast last year:
"My favorite NFL city is Buffalo... Because it's Buffalo."
It'd be a storybook ending. The team where he made a name for himself, that also gives him as good a chance to win a Super Bowl ring that he'll find anywhere.
The only thing Fitzpatrick would have to figure out is what number to wear. Stefon Diggs dons the No. 14, and he isn't giving that up for the backup quarterback.
