For the longest time, the Steelers were lacking in the secondary and specifically at safety. Gone were the days of Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark and in were the likes of Mike Mitchell, Sean Davis, and Terrell Edmunds. In short, Pittsburgh was desperate, and that desperation brought them a great opportunity to improve the position.
Following the loss of Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers looked like they would be a bottom dweller in the league due to their lackluster offense. The Dolphins, meanwhile, had a disgruntled player in Minkah Fitzpatrick only a second year into his career. Figuring Pittsburgh would be a bottom team, they agreed to trade him to the Steelers. It turned into a great deal for Pittsburgh.
Fitzpatrick made an instant impact when he joined the defense. He recorded five interceptions and was a key reason that this team turned things around despite a bad quarterback room. The success continued as well, as he recorded an impressive 17 interceptions over his first four years with the team. A constant Pro-Bowler and All-Pro nomination, Fitzpatrick was slotted comfortably as a top-three defender on a talented defense.
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Unfortunately, Fitzpatrick has seen his play drop off in recent years. 2023 was an injury-riddled one, but in the games he appeared in he failed to log an interception for the first time in his career. The hope was for 2024 to be a return to form for Fitzpatrick, but it hasn’t happened. The lack of big plays paired with a big cap hit could lead to a potential release next offseason.
The Steelers need some more from Fitzpatrick
While not his fault, the safety market has seen some disruption with their big contracts. We saw a slew of veterans get released last year, and more often than not the free agent market is flooded with capable veterans who sign for less than most expect them to. While two safeties are getting more a year than him, the expectation should still be for Fitzpatrick to be an elite member of this defense.
To be fair, his run defense and tackling are excellent. He rarely misses when he locks into a runner, and he can play downhill while still being an excellent deep safety. For those saying he has completely fallen off, they would be incorrect. The issue is the lack of splash at a position that needs to generate something.
While the Steelers are projected to have north of fifty million in cap space next year, a lot of that cash will have to be used on a quarterback. More than likely, Russell Wilson will get inked to a new deal, and his cap hit will likely take up half of the available cap space. Add in potential new deals for Donte Jackson and George Pickens as well as the usual free-agent additions and that open cap space will quickly disappear.
If the Steelers were to cut Fitzpatrick outright, they would net over 8.6 million dollars in cap space. Those savings jump to 15.5 million dollars if you designate him a post-June cut (remember, that means you are moving some of the dead money to 2026). For a player that isn’t living up to expectations, that could be savings worth netting.
Fitzpatrick has come out and said that teams aren’t targeting him, and that is likely true. Why would a quarterback purposefully test a historically good safety? The same argument goes for other safeties in a similar position, but they have continued to produce. Antoine Winfield, the highest-paid safety, has numerous takeaways (forced fumbles and interceptions) despite this year being injury-shortened.
Takeaways can be a fluky stat, and they aren’t the end-all-be-all. One just has to think back to former Steelers draft pick Gerod Holliman. He recorded the most interceptions in a single college season but was so bad of a defender that he never played a single snap in the NFL. That said, essentially posting a goose egg in back-to-back seasons is a tough pill to swallow.
If the struggling play continues, the Steelers need to have a serious conversation about whether Fitzpatrick is worth the cost moving forward. They could easily sign someone for far cheaper to fill that role and still have cap space to spare from his release. It is a hard decision to make, but paying for past production will only cost this team more down the line.