Minkah Fitzpatrick spent six years with the Steelers, and they rewarded him handsomely, so why is he no longer here? That’s a question that many have asked, but only those in the organization can truly answer it. Is it simply a matter of him not playing to the level that is necessary to justify his pay, or is there something more?
For another All-Pro safety, it has to be something more than just the tape. Devin McCourty, who Bill Belichick tasked with running his New England Patriots defense, recently appeared on 93.7 The Fan. He expressed surprise that they made the move, suggesting it must be what we’re not seeing.
“When I saw that, it told me that they feel like there’s something there that they weren’t getting with Minkah Fitzpatrick”, McCourty said of the Steelers’ big trade. “It just made me feel like whatever they see on a day-to-day basis, they don’t feel like it’s the same that they were getting. To me, that’s the only way you get rid of a player who not only has been a great player for you, he’s been a leader, he’s been a presence in Pittsburgh”.
Minkah Fitzpatrick made the Pro Bowl in five of his six seasons with the Steelers, and three All-Pro lists. The past two seasons, he still made the Pro Bowl, but without his usual stats. Since the start of 2023, he has just one interception, one forced fumble, and seven passes defensed. In comparison, he recorded 17 interceptions during his first four seasons in Pittsburgh.
Fitzpatrick is still just 28 years old, and McCourty trusts that he feels he has something to show the Steelers. Granted, they didn’t just give him away but rather acquired two Pro Bowl players. Between DB Jalen Ramsey and TE Jonnu Smith, they may have added a net surplus of talent.
Not if Minkah Fitzpatrick has anything to say about the Steelers’ decision, though. “I’m sure Miami’s happy to get him back, and I know he probably wants to prove a lot of people wrong in Pittsburgh right now”, McCourty said.
Not that it isn’t obvious. I’m sure every player whose team has ever traded him has wanted to prove it made a mistake. Even when the decision is based on money and the salary cap, they still want to show they are valuable.
And there’s nothing saying Minkah Fitzpatrick can’t have a much better season than he had with the Steelers since 2023. After all, there is nothing fundamentally different about him, nothing that he can’t reclaim. Some have suggested diminished speed, but I don’t see that. By and large, I think his bad moments simply stuck out more than they ordinarily do. He missed some plays that he usually makes, but that’s true of everyone.
The question is, were the Steelers confident that they would have seen the “old” Minkah Fitzpatrick this year? In light of the fact that they traded him, perhaps not. It’s not like they acquired Jalen Ramsey as part of a youth movement, since he’s older.
