Doug Flutie, a veteran quarterback from New England, returned to the Patriots for his last season after last playing for them in 1989. He finished his career with 3,426 yards passing and 22 touchdowns against only 11 interceptions.
Flutie was drafted by the Patriots in 1987 out of Boston College where he played under head coach Bobby Bowden. He started eight games that season before suffering a knee injury that required surgery. The following year, he started all 16 games for the Patriots and led them to the Super Bowl where they lost to San Francisco 49ers's Joe Montana and the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-39.
After the game, Flutie told reporters "I'm going home to see my family". Two days later, when asked if he would return for another season, he said "It's not up to me. They'll tell us when we go back tomorrow if there's any more football left in me." The next day, he announced that he was leaving football to start a business planning company.
In 1991, Flutie returned to football as the starting quarterback for the Buffalo Bills where he stayed for three seasons. In 1994, he returned to Boston where he finished his career with the Patriots.
Doug Flutie, the quarterback of the New England Patriots, announced his retirement today after 21 seasons in the NFL. During his 12-year NFL career, Flutie played for Chicago (1986-87), Buffalo (1998-2000), San Diego (2001-04), and New England (1987-89, 2005). He finished with a record of 31-28 as a starter and has earned $7 million since retiring.
Flutie was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the first round (fifth overall pick) of the 1984 NFL draft. He spent three seasons with them before being traded to the Buffalo Bills where he stayed for six more years. In 1990, he joined the San Diego Chargers as a free agent but was released after one season. Then in 2001, he came back to Buffalo only to be released again at the end of 2002. This time though, he signed with San Diego and led them to a 10-6 record before he got injured. After recovering from an ankle injury, he returned for one game in 2004 before announcing his retirement.
During his NFL career, Flutie completed 1,179 of 1,814 passes for 15,236 yards with 102 touchdowns against 44 interceptions. He also ran for 2,943 yards and 26 touchdowns while playing all positions other than cornerback.
After retiring from football, Flutie started a sports agency called The Flutie Agency.
Doug Flutie won multiple CFL titles despite not having a Super Bowl ring. He is particularly known for the "Hail Flutie" play, in which he delivered a game-winning pass against Miami on November 27, 1989. Following the revelation of Tom Brady's season-ending injury, the Patriots contacted Flutie. He agreed to come out of retirement and replace their injured quarterback.
Flutie had a fantastic career in New England, leading the team to the 1996 AFC Championship Game before losing to Pittsburgh. In 2001, he was part of the first class inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame.
However, what many don't know is that Flutie played two seasons after his retirement in 1999 and 2000. He finished his NFL career with the Patriots' rival Miami Dolphins as their starting quarterback. He stayed with the team as a backup while playing for them during the preseason, appearing in four games without throwing a touchdown pass. The Dolphins released him at the end of August 2000.
In total, Flutie played ten seasons in the NFL, finishing with a record of 7-3 as a starter and 15-17 as a backup. He threw for over 10,000 yards and 80 touchdowns and also ran for over 1,500 yards and 14 scores during his career.
He returned to the Boston area after his playing days were over, working as a commentator for ESPN and NBC Sports.
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