Fitzpatrick (hip) announced his retirement Thursday, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

It comes as no surprise after the now-39-year-old QB suffered a season-ending hip injury Week 1 last season. The Commanders were forced to turn to Taylor Heinicke under center for most of the year, with Fitzpatrick ultimately unable to recover without surgery. He had an arthroscopic procedure in December but will focus on something besides football now that he's healthy again. The 2005 seventh-round pick made starts for nine different NFL teams throughout his career, going 59-87-1 while throwing 223 touchdowns and 169 interceptions. Fitzpatrick's best seasons mostly came in the second half of his career, including 2015 with the Jets (31 TDs) and 2020 with the Dolphins (68.5 completion percentage).

Fitzpatrick is scheduled to undergo a season-ending arthroscopic procedure on his right hip this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

EDGE Analysis

Three weeks ago, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reported that Fitzpatrick was unlikely to play again in 2021 due to the slow progress he was making in his recovery from the partial dislocation of his right hip he suffered Week 1, but his impending arthroscopic surgery makes his shutdown official. Fitzpatrick is hoping the surgery will allow him to return to full health by the early part of the offseason, but it's unclear if the 39-year-old will look to sign with another team or if he'll head into retirement. Taylor Heinicke has performed well enough for Washington this season, so the Football Team may not have any interest in bringing Fitzpatrick back for a second season -- at least not as a starter.

Fitzpatrick (hip) is considered unlikely to return from injured reserve this season, a person familiar with his situation told Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.

EDGE Analysis

When he suffered a partial dislocation of his right hip in Washington's Week 1 loss to the Chargers, Fitzpatrick was generally expected to return by midseason, but there hasn't been much positive news regarding his recovery in the two months since he went down with the injury. Though Fitzpatrick underwent an MRI on his last week that head coach Ron Rivera said showed "some progress," the veteran quarterback continues to experience pain and swelling in the hip and doesn't appear close to resuming practice. As a result, the Football Team may be inclined to shut Fitzpatrick down, given that he's a soon-to-be 39-year-old on an expiring deal who likely doesn't have much of a future on a non-contending club. Barring dramatic improvement in Fitzpatrick's rehab program in the next few weeks, Washington will get by with Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen as its quarterbacks for the rest of the season.

Coach Ron Rivera said Wednesday that Fitzpatrick (hip) has made progress but still isn't "way up there" in terms of positive news, with Rivera adding that he's been given no timetable for the quarterback's return, Sam Fortier of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

The team hasn't discussed Fitzpatrick much, apart from occasional updates on MRIs. The latest took place in early November and apparently didn't reveal enough progress for Fitzpatrick to start preparing for a return to practice. It sounds like his prolonged absence will extend well into November and quite possibly December, with a Week 9 bye not being the turning point some may have hoped for. Taylor Heinicke will make another start Week 10 against Tampa Bay, with Kyle Allen the other option at QB unless/until Fitzpatrick returns.

Coach Ron Rivera said Monday that Fitzpatrick (hip) will have another MRI in two weeks, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

Fitzpatrick wasn't expected to be ready to return until at least after Washington's Week 9 bye, and his MRI should give the team a better idea of his status. The 38-year-old doesn't appear to be particularly close to practicing, and Taylor Heinicke should continue to serve as the starting quarterback while Fitzpatrick remains on IR.

Fitzpatrick (hip) is still on crutches and isn't expected to be ready to return from injured reserve until at least after Washington's Week 9 bye, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

EDGE Analysis

When Fitzpatrick was diagnosed with a right hip subluxation in the first half of Washington's season opener, the team was optimistic the 38-year-old might be ready to make his return in six weeks. The end of that timeline has now arrived, however, and Fitzpatrick doesn't appear to be close to practicing, much less playing. Fitzpatrick's slow recovery from the injury should give Taylor Heinicke a longer leash as the Football Team's starting quarterback, but the latter's struggles in recent weeks could cost him the job if and when Fitzpatrick returns. Washington is expected to have a clearer target date for when Fitzpatrick might be ready to come off injured reserve when he likely gets an MRI next week.

Coach Ron Rivera revealed Friday that Fitzpatrick (hip) hadn't yet undergone an MRI to evaluate his progress, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

A couple weeks back, there was talk of Fitzpatrick returning for Washington's upcoming Week 7 contest in Green Bay. That clearly won't happen, and the lack of an update makes it seem like Week 8 might be a stretch. After that, Washington has a Week 9 bye and a Week 10 home game against Tampa (Nov. 14), with the latter making some sense as the target date for a return. It is possible Fitzpatrick rejoins the team in a backup role, though Taylor Heinicke's recent performance trends toward the veteran reclaiming the starting gig.

Fitzpatrick (hip) could be cleared to return from injured reserve as soon as Week 7, when Washington plays in Green Bay, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports.

EDGE Analysis

Meanwhile, head coach Ron Rivera was less willing to speculate how soon Fitzpatrick might be activated from IR when he met with the media Monday, acknowledging only that the veteran signal-caller is "progressing" in his rehab program, per Ethan Cadeaux of NBC Sports Washington. Shortly after Fitzpatrick suffered the right hip subluxation in the Sept. 12 season opener, initial reports suggested the quarterback would miss 6-to-8 weeks, so a return during the short end of that timeline still appears realistic. For at least one more game, Taylor Heinicke will serve as Washington's starting quarterback, but a poor showing this weekend against the Chiefs could prompt Rivera to reinsert Fitzpatrick atop the depth chart once healthy.

At this stage, Fitzpatrick has no plans to undergo surgery to address his hip injury, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

EDGE Analysis

A decision to address his a hip subluxation through rest and rehab was arrived at after the QB consulted medical experts and underwent a battery of tests. Per Rapoport, Fitzpatrick is expected to miss about eight weeks, meaning that as things stand, Taylor Heinicke is in a position to start for the team into November.

Fitzpatrick (hip) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.

EDGE Analysis

The roster move was fully expected after Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Monday that Fitzpatrick would be sidelined for about 6-8 weeks after sustaining a right hip subluxation early in his Washington debut in a Week 1 loss to the Chargers. With Fitzpatrick out of the mix, Taylor Heinicke will step in as the Football Team's new starting quarterback beginning with Thursday's game against the Giants, while Kyle Allen moves up to the No. 2 spot on the depth chart.