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We all know that by agreeing to a one-year contract with free-agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Washington Football Team at the very least secured an entertaining year for the 2021 season. It may be terrible, it may be incredible, but it will be nothing if not interesting.
The ups and downs of Fitzpatrick’s career — spanning 16 years with 8 different teams — have been a rollercoaster of successes and failures. More than a couple of times he’s put on unbelievable shows followed by trainwreck collapses. Look at the 2019 season in a nutshell; Fitzpatrick threw for 11 touchdowns in the first three games, becoming the first player in NFL history with three-straight games of 400-yards passing, only later to be benched for Jameis Winston. So, yeah…you never know quite what you’re going to get.
That is unless you’re a receiver on his team. Then you have a good idea that your usage rate is about to go through the roof. This means good things for Terry McLaurin, but also for any prospective free-agent WR who was maybe keeping an eye on Washington’s QB situation. Check out this stat about WR targets under Fitzpatrick.
Ryan Fitzpatrick No. 1 WR target totals in his eight seasons with 10+ starts:
T.J. Houshmandzadeh: 137
Stevie Johnson: 148, 141, 134
Andre Johnson: 146
Brandon Marshall: 173, 128
DeVante Parker: 128— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) March 16, 2021
In comparison, McLaurin had 134 targets in 2020 spread across multiple quarterbacks. D.K. Metcalf had 129; Justin Jefferson had 125; D.J. Moore had 118. The undoubted WR1 on these teams average somewhere in the mid 120’s, and guys with Fitzpatrick exceed that number. Think that doesn’t catch the eye of someone like Kenny Golladay or Curtis Samuel?
The simple fact is that when Washington had guys like Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen heading up the QB room, nobody was too interested because none of us really know what we’re going to get. Now, with Fitzpatrick entering the chat, we have a good idea of what’s coming.
It won’t always be pretty, and there are going to be a few errant throws downfield for sure. But he’s at the very least going to air it out and give his receivers a chance to make some big plays. As a guy who will likely be signing a short deal in Washington, what more could you ask for?
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