Ryan Fitzpatrick #14 of the Buffalo Bills walks onto the field late in the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Rogers Centre on December 16, 2012 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Seattle won 50-17. (Rick Stewart/Getty Images North America)
The free-agent quarterback market just got more interesting.
Just minutes into the new league year, the Buffalo Bills and new coach Doug Marrone announced they had released starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick after two inconsistent seasons as starter.
The team announced the move Tuesday, shortly after the NFL's free agency period opened, and a day before Fitzpatrick was due a $3 million bonus. General manager Buddy Nix said the team kept "every possible option open," before reaching the decision.
Fitzpatrick went 20-33 as a starter over four seasons in Buffalo. He was in the midst of a six-year, $59 million contract extension signed in October 2011.
Fitzpatrick was the second-highest player on the Bills' roster, set to make a base salary of $4.25 million, in addition to a $3 million roster bonus, in 2013.
Fitzpatrick averaged only 212.5 passing yards per game last year - his lowest total as a starter - and never led the Bills to the playoffs.
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SOURCE: USA Today
Lindsay H. Jones
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