Ryan Fitzpatrick, 38, has agreed to sign with the Washington Football Team, which will be the ninth different franchise he has played for. Gary McCullough/Associated Press

Washington has agreed to sign veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, according to a person with direct knowledge of the move.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the deal cannot be official until the new league year starts Wednesday.

Fitzpatrick – or “FitzMagic” – gives Washington more experience at football’s most important position after it released Alex Smith. The team now has Fitzpatrick, journeyman-turned-playoff standout Taylor Heinicke and Coach Ron Rivera favorite Kyle Allen under contract at quarterback.

Washington also has the 19th pick in the draft and could use one of its first few selections on a QB of the future. Fitzpatrick would be in the mix for the present on what’s expected to be a one-year deal.

Fitzpatrick is joining his ninth different NFL team at age 38 after stints with the St. Louis Rams, Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins. He started seven and played in nine games last season for Miami, throwing for 2,091 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

The Harvard graduate who was a seventh-round pick, 250th overall, in the same 2005 draft where Smith went first, has since appeared in 165 NFL games, all in the regular season. He has 223 touchdowns, 179 interceptions and thrown for 34,977 yards.

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DOLPHINS: Quarterback Jacoby Brissett agreed Tuesday to a one-year contract with Miami, where he’ll replace Ryan Fitzpatrick as the backup to Tua Tagovailoa.

Fitzpatrick, hoping to win a starting job at age 38, agreed this week to sign with Washington after two seasons in Miami.

Brissett, a five-year veteran and native of West Palm Beach, Florida, was the backup for the Indianapolis Colts last year. He went 7-8 as a starter with them in 2019, and was 4-11 as their starter in 2017. Brissett was a rookie backup for the New England Patriots in 2016 when their defensive coaching assistants included Brian Flores, now Miami’s head coach. Brissett has a career passer rating of 84.1, compared with Fitzpatrick’s 82.3.

Flores said last week he’s excited about grooming Tagovailoa this offseason to make a big leap in Year 2 as an NFL quarterback. But the Dolphins are widely expected to pursue Deshaun Watson, the Houston Texans’ disgruntled two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, if he becomes available on the trade market.

SAINTS: New Orleans is bringing back quarterback Jameis Winston on a one-year contract.

The move announced by Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis comes on the heels of Drew Brees’ decision over the weekend to retire and provides Winston a chance to compete with Taysom Hill to be New Orleans’ next starter under center.

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Winston entered the NFL with high expectations after winning the 2013 Heisman Trophy and being selected first overall by Tampa Bay in the 2015 NFL draft. He started five seasons for the Buccaneers, who allowed Winston to walk in free agency in 2020 after opting instead to sign Tom Brady.

BRONCOS: Denver exercised star linebacker Von Miller’s 2021 option.

The move engages the final season of the six-year, $114.5 million contract Miller signed in 2016 in the aftermath of his Super Bowl 50 MVP performance.

It also guarantees him $7 million of his $17.5 million base salary.

Tuesday was the deadline to exercise his option or Miller, who turns 32 this month, would have become an unrestricted free agent. The Broncos tweeted without comment an image of Miller celebrating the team’s Super Bowl triumph five years ago.

Miller has recovered from a freak ankle injury that sidelined him all of last season, and he recently was cleared of off-the-field concerns when the local district attorney’s office declined to bring charges against him following an unspecified investigation by the Parker, Colorado, police department.

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BROWNS: Looking to bolster their pass rush and complement All-Pro Myles Garrett, the Cleveland Browns plan to sign free agent defensive end Takkarist McKinley, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

McKinley, who was a first-round pick by Atlanta in 2017, will sign a one-year, $4 million contract, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because teams can’t announce new deals until Wednesday, when the new NFL year begins.

BEARS: Chicago and defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. have agreed to a three-year contract extension through 2023, the team announced.

Edwards had a career-high four sacks and seven quarterback hits after signing with Chicago prior to last season. He has 14 1/2 sacks and 30 QB hits over six seasons with the Raiders, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints and Bears.

Chicago’s defense ranked 11th overall last season. The Bears made the playoffs despite going 8-8 in the regular season for the second year in a row, then got knocked out in a convincing wild-card loss at New Orleans.

TITANS: Tennessee is releasing a pair of starters in cornerback Adoree Jackson and right tackle Dennis Kelly to clear salary cap space.

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The Titans picked up the fifth-year option on Jackson, the 18th overall pick in 2017, last year as well. Jackson was due $10.24 million under that option. Jackson started 41 of 46 games for the Titans but a knee injury just before the start of the season limited him to three games in 2020.

PACKERS: Veteran cornerback Tramon Williams announced via social media on his 38th birthday that he’s retiring from football.

He played six regular-season games and one playoff game for the Baltimore Ravens last season and was waived after their AFC divisional playoff loss to Buffalo. The Packers signed him to their practice squad that week and elevated him to the active roster for their NFC championship game loss to Tampa Bay, though he didn’t play in the game.

JAGUARS: A person familiar with negotiations says Jacksonville and former Seattle cornerback Shaquill Griffin have agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $44.5 million and includes $29 million guaranteed, the most significant move for new coach Urban Meyer in his NFL debut.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because neither side can make free agent agreements official until the new league year begins Wednesday.

Griffin’s agent, Buddy Baker, tweeted “Duval,” a nod to the city’s rallying cry and an apparent public confirmation of his client’s move east.

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RAIDERS: Las Vegas is planning to release star center Rodney Hudson as part of a major overhaul of the team’s offensive line.

The Raiders are completely revamping their offensive line that was one of the most expensive in the league. The team has agreed to trade right tackle Trent Brown to New England in a deal that will be finalized Wednesday and cut left guard Richie Incognito. Right guard Gabe Jackson is also expected to be cut but that move hasn’t happened yet.

VIKINGS: Minnesota agreed to terms on a contract with former New York Giants defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson according to his agency.

The 6-foot-3, 318-pound Tomlinson started every game for the Giants over the last four seasons, after being drafted in the second round out of Alabama. In 2020, Tomlinson had 3 1/2 sacks, eight tackles for loss and 10 quarterback hits. His agency, SportsTrust Advisors, announced the deal with the Vikings on Twitter.


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