Ryan Fitzpatrick Embraces NFL Record of 9 Starting Stops

Q: Why is Ryan Fitzpatrick picking Patrick Mahomes for MVP against the betting odds?

Ryan Fitzpatrick is picking Patrick Mahomes for MVP because he believes Mahomes has the strongest bounce-back setup in the league, even if sportsbooks currently favor Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. Fitzpatrick said on *The Rich Eisen Show* that Mahomes’ recovery from injury is a major reason. He argued that the work Mahomes has had to put into getting healthy, along with the need to “hit reset,” can sharpen his focus and fuel a big season. Fitzpatrick also pointed to a growing sense of doubt around Mahomes, with some critics saying other quarterbacks have outplayed him recently. In Fitzpatrick’s view, that skepticism is exactly the kind of motivation that can drive Mahomes back to an MVP level. The broader football context supports that case. Mahomes is coming off a relatively down 2025 season by his standards, which many around the league see as an outlier rather than a new norm. He is also expected to have better support in 2026, including a more experienced receiving group, a stronger running game led by Kenneth Walker III, and an improved Chiefs defense. So while the betting market has Mahomes behind Allen and Jackson, Fitzpatrick is betting on narrative, motivation, and roster improvement. His view is that a healthy, doubted, and refocused Mahomes is exactly the kind of player who can outperform the odds.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 3

Ryan Fitzpatrick said he would not change his NFL path after becoming the league’s only quarterback to start for nine different teams.
Nine teams became his route to staying on the field, he said, because he kept moving when younger quarterbacks were drafted and he refused to settle for the bench.
Buffalo, the Jets, Miami, Cincinnati, Tampa Bay, St. Louis, Houston, Tennessee and Washington made him a textbook journeyman, a label he said also brought lasting friendships for his family in every city.
Lake Tahoe is his next stop off the field: Fitzpatrick said those relationships carry into this month’s American Century Championship, where he hopes a lower golf handicap lifts him near the leaderboard.