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'I enjoy being out there' | Bucs' Ryan Fitzpatrick will miss the field but support Winston

Ryan Fitzpatrick has led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 2-2 start in his four-game stint in relief of Jameis Winston.
Credit: Joe Robbins, Getty Images
Quarterbacks Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jameis Winston of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stand on the sidelines in the second quarter against the Chicago Bears on Sept. 30, 2018, at Soldier Field in Chicago.

TAMPA, Fla. – Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said Monday he’d accept his role as backup to fellow signal-caller Jameis Winston.

However, the 35-year-old Fitzpatrick said his benching was “not something” he “wanted to hear.”

Fitzpatrick said he told his dad after the first three weeks of the season, “I’m either going to win the NFL MVP this year or I’ll be back on the bench at some point. That’s just the reality of the situation.”

The 14-year veteran quarterback led the Bucs to a 2-2 start with wins over the New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles. Fitzpatrick won the NFC Player of the Week Award for his performance in the two wins.

After the first three weeks of the season, Fitzpatrick led the NFL with 1,230 passing yards and became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 400 yards in three consecutive weeks.

Related: Ryan Fitzpatrick may have lost his starting job, but his jersey is now in the Hall of Fame

However, Tampa Bay lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears in consecutive weeks.

Trailing 38-3, Winston replaced Fitzpatrick in the second half of Sunday’s game against Chicago. The Bucs ended up losing 48-10.

“I had no intention of making a quarterback change, but when we were down 35 [points] – five touchdowns – at halftime, I thought it was a perfect time to get Jameis in and get him some timing with NFL game speed that he’s been out for a month,” Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter said.

Fitzpatrick went 9-of-18 passing for 126 yards, no touchdowns and an interception against the Bears. Winston went 16-of-20 for 145 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Both quarterbacks were sacked twice.

“The Chicago game, everything went wrong in all phases,” Fitzpatrick said. “That’s the way it goes. Like I said, I wish I could still be out there, but that’s the way that goes and I’ll accept my role.”

Fitzpatrick threw for 1,356 yards, 11 touchdowns, five interceptions and a 114.4 passer rating in his four-game stint as starting quarterback.

“It’s not something I necessarily wanted to hear just in terms of, you know, getting that taste back, that feeling, being out there, having fun and enjoying myself, kind of creating some momentum at the beginning of the season with the guys,” Fitzpatrick said. “Jameis is back and Jameis is the guy. He’s the face of the franchise.

"He’s going to do a great job, but yeah, it’s not like it’s a happy day for me. I enjoy being out there.”

The NFL suspended Winston for the first three games after allegations he groped an Uber driver in 2016.

"We brought Fitz here two years ago to be a mentor for Jameis and to be a guy that could fill in if Jameis was out for injury," Koetter said. "Both times we've asked Fitz to fill in – for a three-game stretch a year ago he led us to 2-1 [and] a four-game stretch this year, he led us to 2-2 this year – job well-done, excellent. I think any team in the league would take that."

Both quarterbacks agreed on the timing of the bye week.

“I think [the bye week] comes at a good time in terms of the bloodbath that was Sunday,” Fitzpatrick said.

Winston will start for the Bucs in their next game against the Atlanta Falcons on Oct. 14.

Related: Jameis Winston will be the Buccaneers' starting quarterback in Week 6

Winston – the No. 1 overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft – had the fifth-year of his rookie contract picked up in the offseason. The team option is worth about $20.92 million for 2019. The contract is not guaranteed except against injury.

The Bucs could also try to negotiate a long-term deal with Winston before the start of 2019.

The 24-year-old Winston is due to make about $7.94 million in 2018, according to Spotrac. Winston has an 18-27 career record as a starter.

Fitzpatrick is due $3.3 million this season before he can become an unrestricted free agent, according to Spotrac. He has a 50-72-1 career record as a starter, including a 4-3 record as a starter for the Bucs.

In August, the Bucs also gave general manager Jason Licht a one-year extension through the 2019 season.

Koetter is currently is in his third season of a five-year deal he agreed to in January 2016. This past offseason, the team agreed to retain him for the 2018 season. He is has led Tampa Bay to a 16-20 record.

The Bucs have missed the playoffs for 10 consecutive seasons.

Previous: 'FitzMagic' is in the air throughout Tampa Bay

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