This small gesture from Young 'really impressed' Fitzpatrick originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Ryan Fitzpatrick and Chase Young haven’t taken the field for a practice or suited up for a game as teammates yet, but the new Washington Football Team quarterback already had one moment that proved to him how special Young is.
During a recent interview with the Washington Football Talk podcast, Fitzpatrick got the chance to explain what happened.
“The thing that really impressed me — I’ve heard so many great things about his leadership ability, about his maturity,” Fitzpatrick said. “And he was one of the guys that, instead of a text, actually called.”
Fitzpatrick, who’s set to don his ninth different uniform this fall, is used to joining a new franchise and being welcomed in a variety of manners. But, apparently, the way Young went about it once Fitzpatrick signed with the Burgundy and Gold was quite rare.
“For a [21-year-old kid] to hop on the phone and call and reach out and make sure everything’s good and let me know he was excited, I just thought that showed an incredible amount of maturity,” the signal caller told the podcast.
Not every phone exchange has gone that well for Fitzpatrick, though.
The guy who’ll be tasked with reading defenses and anticipating throws once the season begins has also had to navigate a bunch of unfamiliar numbers popping up on his screen lately.
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As you’d imagine, a lot of folks associated with his new organization would like to get in touch with him, and he’s doing his best to sift through the chaos.
“It’s a dicey situation,” Fitzpatrick said. “Obviously, anything that pops up from the DMV area, I’m answering. I learned quickly that anything from North Carolina, that type of area code, I’m also answering that one… Hopefully I haven’t blocked anybody that was really trying to reach out.”
As for Fitzpatrick and Young’s relationship specifically, Fitzpatrick noticed Young’s outstanding physical tools even while he was busy with Miami’s offense in 2020. That’s what led to the ex-Dolphin making this more-than-understandable declaration about his personal future in the interview.
“Very happy that he’s not hitting me,” Fitzpatrick said about his talented teammate.
And once Fitzpatrick was officially informed of Young’s age — he wasn’t sure if Young was 22 or 23, but as it turns out, he’s even younger than that — the QB handed out one final and hilarious take about the former second overall pick.
“I guess I’ll be in line for the COVID vaccine before him,” Fitzpatrick said. “I just missed out on the 40 and up, but I’m right behind.”