Despite a quiet season based on his standards, Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick earned another Pro Bowl nod in 2024, continuing to add to his resume.
But despite a Pro Bowl season, one that he admitted he was surprised by because he wasn’t performing up to his standards, Fitzpatrick remains a key cog for the Steelers defensively.
However, with a hefty contract and not having the production to match it, many fans and even some in the media are calling for the Steelers to cut bait and move on from Fitzpatrick, whether that’s via trade or by releasing the former All-Pro.
“Minkah is a really interesting discussion. He’s a $22 million cap hit. He hasn’t produced to the contract. So, do you eat all kinds of dead money? I think they would be responsible for north of $15 million in dead money if they cut him. So that’s something that they usually don’t do,” the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo told Joe Starkey on the Joe Show Friday morning, according to video via 93.7 The Fan on YouTube. “As I pointed out in my story, the last time they really cut a star player with two or more years remaining on the contract was 2014 when they dumped LaMarr Woodley with three years left. And there were all kinds of issues with LaMarr. He was hurt all the time. There were questions about his work ethic. You don’t really get that with Minkah.
“Minkah is mostly available. Work ethic, really, I don’t think is an issue with him. So you would really be walking away from that or cutting him to really strictly because of on-the-field performance and they just, they usually don’t go down that road. So I will say keep him, but I understand that discussion for sure.”
Fitzpatrick has been the center of discussion due to his limited impact and production in 2024. Though he recorded 96 tackles on the season, he had just one interception, which came in Week 16 against the Baltimore Ravens.
That snapped a 25-game streak without an interception for Fitzpatrick, and while many were happy to see him create a turnover again, it wasn’t enough. He had just one tackle for loss, four passes defensed and one forced fumble. Those numbers are a far cry from what he used to produce.
Granted, most of his limited production is due to the Steelers seemingly playing him 20 yards off the ball time and time again in single-high coverage. Teams aren’t really throwing in his direction, either, which hinders his ability to make those splash plays.
Fitzpatrick was seemingly irritated for much of the year, too, not wanting to speak to the media much, being quite demonstrative on the field when miscommunications happened, and more. He’s a guy who wears his heart on his sleeve. You don’t have the question the want-to or the desire.
But at some point, a guy making as much as he does has to provide some return on investment. Yes, Fitzpatrick helped keep a lid on things for much of the season defensively. But down the stretch the Steelers collapsed, and they were giving up big plays in the passing game over and over again.
So, what do you do?
You don’t cut a guy like Minkah Fitzpatrick, that’s for sure. He’s not a star anymore, but he’s still very good. It’s quite possible — and maybe even very likely — that he’s being used improperly once again. Fitzpatrick was great in 2022 with six interceptions. Then, in 2023 he missed a bunch of games with a hamstring injury and played the later part of the season with a broken hand.
Now, he’s coming off a down 2024 season. He’s been here before. The 2021 season was a mess for Fitzpatrick. But he bounced back in a major way. The Steelers should — and likely will — bet on him doing just that again, with some tweaks defensively.
