After their crushing 27-13 season-opening loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, the Miami Dolphins are already getting slammed with a brutal prediction: former NFL quarterback and current Prime Video analyst Ryan Fitzpatrick says 0-17 is “within reach” for this year’s squad. This isn’t just some hot take; Fitzpatrick, who actually played for the Dolphins and endured their 5-11 finish in 2019, knows exactly what a bottom-feeder team looks like. When Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald asked him about his winless prediction, the guy didn’t flinch. He’s sticking to his guns, and honestly, after that Week 1 performance, you gotta listen.
Déjà Vu All Over Again, But With Way More Dead Money
Fitzpatrick didn’t mince words, pointing to some seriously eerie parallels with his own time in Miami. “There’s a lot going on that reminded me of that 2019 season there,” he told Jackson. Back then, they started 0-7, losing their first four games by an absolutely insane *average of 34 points*. Can you even imagine? That’s not just losing, that’s getting absolutely obliterated. The man said they weren’t “even given the chance to succeed.” And a huge chunk of this current mess? It’s self-inflicted. The Dolphins are carrying over $180 million in dead cap money, which is just mind-boggling. We’re talking about Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Bradley Chubb, Jalen Ramsey, and even a familiar name like Minkah Fitzpatrick , all those guys are still on the books but nowhere near the roster. That kind of financial dead weight is a disaster right out of the gate.
Head Coach Clues and a Schedule from Hell
It’s not just the roster turnover and the massive dead cap that has Fitzpatrick worried. He also pulled apart comments made by first-year head coach Jeff Hafley, who, in a now-clarified statement to Stephen A. Smith, said “success isn’t measured by wins and losses.” C’mon, man, what does that tell you? Fitzpatrick read “between the tea leaves” on that one, and it screamed “rebuild mode” loud and clear. Plus, they claimed *seven* guys off waivers after the first cuts. That’s a lot of turnover, showing they’re trying to find anything that sticks. Then there’s the schedule, which is just brutal. They’re facing the NFC North and the AFC West this year, which is no walk in the park. Their Week 2 road game against the San Francisco 49ers is already a nightmare matchup. And it doesn’t get easier with other road games against the Colts and Bengals. Even their AFC East rival New York Jets, also supposedly rebuilding, look like they’re going to be better. Fitzpatrick crunched the numbers, saying, “Gosh, this is a real possibility.”
Miami’s next chance to prove Fitzpatrick wrong comes on the road against the San Francisco 49ers. The stakes are simple: avoid digging an even deeper hole towards that terrifying 0-17 prediction. Fitzpatrick himself said he’s “rooting for them to screw it up” and get in the way of a tank. Let’s see if those coaches and players can actually do it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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