Minkah Fitzpatrick was never going anywhere, but Steelers fans can breathe a sigh of relief now that their star safety has a new deal. It is a four-year, $73.6 million deal tying him to Pittsburgh for the next five seasons, making him the highest-paid safety in NFL history.
Fitzpatrick has been a force for the Steelers since being acquired from the Dolphins in 2019. He has forced 14 combined turnovers and bringing range not seen in the secondary since HOFer Troy Polamalu.
He was forced into a different role last season and his playmaking ability wasn’t featured as often. Despite that, he helped hold an injured defense together enough to earn the Steelers a wildcard spot.
Now with a healthier (and deeper) defense heading into 2022, Fitzpatrick will be able to return to being a true ball-hawking free safety. If the defense can return to 2019 form, Pittsburgh could have a legit shot at another playoff season.
What the Minkah Fitzpatrick deal could mean moving forward
Looking past the on-field ramifications, the timing of this deal was a bit surprising. The Steelers have always been known to play hard ball with even their best players. Even 2021 DPOY TJ Watt was barely signed prior to the season last year. As good as Minkah Fitzpatrick is, you would think it would have been the other way around.
This deal coming before training camp tells me that new GM Omar Khan may want to do things a bit differently. He may have been with the Steelers for 20 years, but he doesn’t want to just keep the status quo. Being more player-friendly with how contract talks go would be a welcome change in the modern NFL.
The Steelers are entering a new era, and Khan knows it. Adjusting how they do business, even just a little, is something that needs to happen. This deal for Minkah Fitzpatrick could be the first move that signals that shift. If so, it couldn’t have happened to a more deserving player.
