Steelers and Minkah Fitzpatrick: 3 reasons why they are a perfect match
By Tommy Jaggi
The price is right
General manager, Kevin Colbert, really isn’t into making blockbuster trades; that’s just now how he operates. He’s the type of GM who would rather use cap space on keeping his own players around.
However, that philosophy hasn’t worked out so great as of late. Pittsburgh has busted on players like Artie Burns, Jarvis Jones, Senquez Golson, and maybe even Bud Dupree. Fortunately for the Steelers, the asking price for Minkah Fitzpatrick is well within reason.
There Dolphins are rumored to be seeking a second-round draft choice in exchange for last year’s 11th overall pick. Fitzpatrick was considered a blue-chip player entering the NFL Draft, and the 22-year old defensive back still holds a lot of value. With the way Pittsburgh has drafted since 2013, they shouldn’t hesitate to give up that high of a pick for Minkah.
Apart from draft compensation, Minkah Fitzpatrick has three cheap years remaining on his rookie deal, plus the fifth-year option. The Steelers currently have just $3.175 million in cap space, but that is enough to add Fitzpatrick to the team without having to restructure anyone’s contract.
It’s rare to find this type of talent for such a cheap fee.