DAVIE, Fla. – Veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick admitted on Wednesday that it hurt to lose the starting job.
The team named rookie Tua Tagovailoa as the starting quarterback, demoting Fitzpatrick to backup.
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Fitzpatrick said, “I was shocked by it. Definitely caught me off guard. It was a hard thing for me to hear yesterday, just kind of digesting the news. My heart is hurt all day. It was heartbreaking for me... Flo said what he said and said what he said to you guys as well."
Fitzpatrick said in the past he knew that he was going to be the placeholder for the rookie quarterback.
Fitzpatrick said, “It still just broke my heart yesterday. It’s a tough thing for me to hear and now have to deal with. I’ll do my best with it.”
Fitzpatrick said he was called into head coach Brian Flores' office and given the news.
Fitzpatrick said, “There’s a lot of stuff going through my mind yesterday, just from a personal standpoint. Is this it? Was that my last game as an NFL player in terms of being a starter and playing?"
Fitzpatrick added, “This was the first place other than Buffalo where I just felt fully committed and invested and felt like it was my team. So to have that, that’s a lot of the reason my heart was so heavy yesterday. That’s the direction the organization is going and I just have to accept it.”
Fitzpatrick said he has spoken with Tagovailoa.
He said, “I basically got fired yesterday and my day of work today consisted of me in zoom meetings listening to the guy that fired me. And locked in a spaced-out room with my replacement.”
Fitzpatrick said, “Once this thing starts up again, I have to do my best for Tua to help him out.”