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Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has had quite the season. The Dolphins entered 2020 with Fitzpatrick serving as their incumbent quarterback, only to turn the keys of their offense over the Tua Tagovailoa with the Dolphins riding a two-game winning streak and 3-3. But that was hardly the end of a roller-coaster season for Fitzpatrick, who was inserted back into the lineup against Denver to attempt to mount a fourth-quarter comeback (which fell short), started the following week after Tagovailoa injured the thumb on his throwing hand in practice and then was once again called upon from the bullpen in Week 16, engineering a miraculous Dolphins victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.
And now, as if Fitzpatrick’s season hasn’t been enough of a whirlwind, the veteran quarterback has reportedly just tested positive for COVID-19. That will keep him unavailable for the Dolphins this weekend against the Buffalo Bills. Fitzpatrick, who has never made the postseason in his NFL career, will have to watch from afar as Miami looks to secure a playoff bid for the first time since 2016.
One cause for optimism around this development for the entirety of the Dolphins team? The league conducted their standard review of contact tracing after the news of Fitzpatrick’s positive test was known — and there were no additional qualifying “high-risk” close contacts, including no one from the quarterback room. That, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
The NFL conducted its usual contact tracing after Ryan Fitzpatrick's positive COVID-19 test, and no other #Dolphins players were identified as high-risk close contacts — including Tua Tagovailoa. The league will continue to monitor, but a good sign Miami followed protocols. https://t.co/vV4hiIxDWl
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 31, 2020
First and foremost, here’s to Fitzpatrick feeling better as soon as possible. The Dolphins are a little bit more fun with Fitzpatrick on the sidelines — so here’s hoping we see him suited up again this season for Miami in a week and a half or so.
If Miami fails to make the playoffs, we may have seen the last of Fitzpatrick with the Dolphins. He has an expiring contract and is not guaranteed to return as the Dolphins look to transition their quarterback room fully into Tagovailoa’s control. As with everything else in 2020, there’s a lot of uncertainty around this situation. Only time in the coming days can provide more answers.