Tua Tagovailoa, Ryan Fitzpatrick, And The Heartbreaking Importance Of Being A Great Teammate
Life is full of plot twists, isn’t it? One moment you are having your Employee of the Month award framed, the next you’re getting knocked to your knees and praying you to keep your job. Imagine putting together a lengthy career that includes long hours at work—in many cases being the first one in and the last to leave. You’re in a good groove, hitting your numbers week after week—pouring more and more value into the team, and then suddenly you’re taken off of the company’s biggest client.
Not only that, but the person being promoted to your dream job technically has a work history thinner than the Sunday dinner menu at Chick-fil-A.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has spent the past 16 years fighting to be a starting QB of an NFL franchise and after leading his team to impressive back-to-back victories, he’s now being asked to take a backseat… to a rookie named Tua Tagovailoa who hadn’t played a meaningful down of football in nearly a year.
How many of us would handle that demotion well? Many of us like to believe we’d act professionally, but know the emotions would kick in the second we got behind closed doors. Unfortunately, in the NFL there are no “closed doors,” meaning Fitzpatrick had to stand and answer questions shortly after learning his fate. As heartbroken as Fitzpatrick admitted to being, he still displayed the kind of high-quality teammate traits that are the biggest reason why he’s been signed by eight different NFL teams in his 16-year career. He’s become an invaluable teammate for the Dolphins who gave him the starting job in 2019, and then trusted him this year with mentoring a first-round draft pick they hoped would one day become the face of the franchise. At no point has Fitzpatrick ever set records for jersey sales or entered a Pro Football Hall of Fame conversation, but he has consistently been mentioned as a player who is instant glue.
There’s a valuable leadership lesson in studying Fitzpatrick’s willingness to embrace the rollercoaster—whatever role, big or small, is necessary. He’s been on some statistically bad teams like the 2008 Cincinnati Bengals that only won four games, or the 2016 New York Jets who won five. He’s also led the way in some statistically superior box scores; during his 2005 rookie season with the St. Louis Rams, he became just the eighth player ever to throw for more than 300 yards in an NFL debut. Four years after that, as a member of the Bengals, his team needed a QB that was mobile—so he finished third in the NFL among quarterbacks for rushing yardage. He’s also the only person in NFL history to throw at least one touchdown for eight different franchises.
Fitzpatrick oozes resilience and persistence. Being the first person ever to throw four touchdown passes in a single game with five different teams vouches for his playmaking ability. But it’s the job he’s doing this year in Miami that takes his character to the next level.
He entered the season knowing that he was grooming his replacement. Fitzpatrick knew that the Dolphins were putting all of their stock in the inexperienced Tagovailoa, but he didn’t wallow in misery. Rather than complain or seek an opportunity elsewhere, he embraced the role of strengthening the team by sharing his knowledge and insights with the rookie. Since day one of training camp, his willingness to bring Tua under his tutelage has helped the team become more comfortable with the eventual transition of leadership.
Whereas many teams have been destroyed by the fallout of a quarterback controversy, this particular Dolphins culture appears to speak highly of both quarterbacks. Sure, they compete against each other daily in practice and film study, but they’re doing so in a way that benefits the team in the long run.
After head coach Brian Flores made the decision to start Tua for Miami’s Week 8 game against the Los Angeles Rams, Fitzpatrick acknowledged the disappointment but reassured a Sports Illustrated reporter that he’s always ready to be the best teammate others might need.
“I’ve got to do my best for Tua to help him out,” Fitzpatrick said. “ Because there’s two separate situations here. One is with Tua, and I want him to do well… And the other one is my feelings and just kind of what I’m going through. And that has to be separate from when I walk into this building and help him out. I’ve got to separate those feelings from trying to be a professional and help him out as best I can.”
At age 38, there’s no question that a journeyman like Fitzpatrick wanted to ride off into his career’s sunset, leading his team as its star gunslinger. But I’d argue that holstering his pride and helping accelerate his young teammate’s development is the most heroic role in the Dolphin’s latest plot twist.