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Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has played 17 seasons in the NFL, has plenty of stories to tell. He recently told one involving quarterback Tom Brady.
In an interview, the journeyman quarterback shared his favorite moment in his NFL career. He shared a story about when Brady didn't shake his hand after a game back when he was playing with the New York Jets:
"Beating Tom Brady, after the first time, because after the first time he didn't shake my hand... I was on the Jets [for the second win, four years later], and I had to chase him down on the 50-yard line."
Handshakes after an NFL game are little moments of sportsmanship in a brutal sport, but they can also be used as a respectful way to poke fun at your opponent. Fitzpatrick hinted at this when he recreated the moment:
"Apparently, he hates losing more than everybody else hates losing. When he does lose, I want a handshake."
Fitzpatrick claimed that the first instance of handshake rejection came while the quarterback played for the Buffalo Bills, who were one of Brady's chief rivals during his time with the New England Patriots.
Brady not shaking the hands of the opposing quarterback who defeated him is nothing new. Quarterback Nick Foles of the Philadelphia Eagles, who upset the Patriots in Super Bowl 52 in the 2017 season, memorably didn't get a handshake with Brady after his performance in the game.
The three-time NFL MVP subsequently played down the missed connection but brushed off Foles once again in the 2020 season, when Foles, then the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears, defeated Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5.
Later in that 2020 season, Brady didn't shake the hand of then-Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff after the Rams upset Tampa Bay in Week 11.
Ryan Fitzpatrick and his NFL career
Fitzpatrick was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He's started 147 games for nine different NFL franchises: the Jets, Bills, Rams, Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans, and the Washington Commanders last season.
In his career, he's thrown for 34,990 yards, 223 touchdowns, and 169 interceptions. Fitzpatrick is currently a free agent should a team want to sign the 39-year-old for the 2022 season.
