Former Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick Offers to Pay Popular Rookie’s Fine

Getty Joe Andreessen celebrates in a Buffalo Bills game.

Buffalo Bills rookie linebacker Joe Andreessen is getting some help with paying his first career NFL fine.

The linebacker was one of the biggest offseason surprises, first coming to the team on a rookie minicamp tryout and eventually earning a spot on the active roster. As ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg reported on Nov. 2, Andreessen was hit with a fine for a hit he made in last week’s game.

“Bills LB Joe Andreessen was fined $4,421.29 for unnecessary roughness (use of the helmet) during the win vs. the Seahawks last week making a tackle on a kickoff return in the third quarter,” Getzenberg shared in a post on X. “He was not flagged on the field.”

But the former University of Buffalo star has an offer from a popular former Bills quarterback to pay the fine.

Joe Andreessen Getting Some Financial Help

After the fine was announced, Bills long snapper Reid Ferguson took to X to share his displeasure with the decision. Ferguson’s post attracted the attention of former Bills quarterback turned commentator Ryan Fitzpatrick, who said he would front the money for Andreessen.

“DM me Joe’s info and I’ll pay the fine for him….can’t be taking money away from Mr. Buffalo,” Fitzpatrick wrote.

Andreessen became a popular player during the preseason, when he had a series of standout performances. The linebacker is a local product, starring for nearby Lancaster High School before playing at Bryant where he set the school’s single-season record with 116 tackles in 2022.

Andreessen transferred after that season but got only one offer, the University of Buffalo. He continued to excel in his final college football season and attracted the attention of the Bills, who brought him into rookie minicamp on a tryout basis.

The Bills ultimately signed Andreessen, who went on to become one of the team’s top preseason performers and ultimately earned a spot on the final 53-man roster.

“I would say definitely grateful,” Andreessen said after making the roster, via ESPN. “… Grateful just to have the trust of the coaches, but I would say it was kind of like a switch because there’s still a lot left to be done. A lot left to prove, not to only me, but my teammates now because I’m given that opportunity to be on this team to help this team win.”

Ryan Fitzpatrick’s Close Ties to the Bills

Though Fitzpatrick suited up for nine different teams during his 17 seasons in the NFL, he has maintained especially close ties with the Bills. He forged a close relationship with Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who shared a bit of inside information with Fitzpatrick earlier in the season.

After Allen hurt his left (non-throwing) hand in a season-opening win over the Arizona Cardinals, he told Fitzpatrick on a Facetime call that it wasn’t going to limit him in the next game.

“For me, I had surgery, ended up playing a few days later, had a hard cast around my thumb, so it was a lot more shotgun for me,” Fitzpatrick shared in an appearance on “Up and Adams.” “I think we’ll look at that early in the game, say ‘Is he going under center? How are the handoffs with his left hand?’ Those will be the two things I’ll be looking for early to make sure it’s not bothering him. He’s using his right hand to throw, so he’ll be good to go in that aspect.”