Minkah Fitzpatrick’s Steelers career ended exactly as it started: As a complete surprise.

In September 2019 while traveling on business in San Francisco an update flashed across the SteelersTres60 WhatsApp group announcing that the Steelers had traded their first round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to the Miami Dolphins for Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Surely, this must be a false, this skeptical scribe concluded.

But it wasn’t. The trade was real and a sign that “The Steelers Way” was evolving. So I wasn’t quite as skeptical when the same SteelersTres60 WhatsApp group posted that Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith were soon to be Steelers.

But I never expected the cost of Ramsey and Smith’s tickets to Pittsburgh would be Minkah Fitzpatrick. But in Pittsburgh they are, and Minkah has returned to Miami.

Today we take a look at Minkah’s contribution as a Pittsburgh Steeler.

Minkah Fitzpatrick celebrates after returning a fumble for a touchdown. Photo Credit: Barry Reeger, Penn-Live

2019: Best 3 Game Stretch by a Steelers DB?

Minkah Fitzpatrick became an immediate starter and logged an interception 11 minutes into the first quarter of his first game against the 49ers. The Steelers lost in San Francisco that day, but Minkah flashed his calling card: Making dramatic, game-changing plays.

Fitzpatrick was quiet for the next three weeks, “only” deflecting two passes. But soon he would strike fear into the hearts of opposing quarterbacks and offensive coordinators.

People forget, but Mason Rudolph looked shaky against the Dolphins early in his first game back following his concussion. A Rudolph interception set up an easy touchdown for Miami, and the Dolphins put up 14 unanswered points in the first quarter as the Steelers struggled.

Minkah Fitzpatrick intercepted Ryan Fitzpatrick at the 11:14 mark of the 2nd quarter, and 13 plays later the Rudolph was hitting Diontae Johnson to get the Steelers into the end zone to cut Miami’s lead to 4.

Minkah Fitzpatrick 2nd interception against the Dolphins. Photo Credit: Barry Reeger, PennLive

The Steelers struggled out of the gate to start the 2nd half, as Chris Boswell missed a 54 yarder.

Miami’s offense never had a chance to capitalize. Ryan Fitzpatrick misfired deep on his first two throws, but he found Minkah Fitzpatrick for his third one. 13 plays later Rudolph found JuJu Smith-Schuster in the end zone to put the Steelers up for good.

A week later against the Colts, the Steelers were in a tighter spot late in the first half as the 2-minute warning loomed. Indianapolis had a 10 to 3 lead that they were on the verge of transforming into a 17 to 3 lead. Minkah Fitzpatrick thought otherwise:

My favorite Minkah Fitzpatrick play pic.twitter.com/1fiUOpINLc

— Steel City Star (@steelcitystar) June 30, 2025

The Steelers beat the Colts that day, 26 to 24, with Minkah Fizpatrick authoring what was, at a minimum, 10 10-point swing in Pittsburgh’s favor.

A week later, against the Los Angeles Rams, Mason Rudolph had just made a field-flipping play to James Washington with 2:26 left to go in the first half, only to have Washington fumble. The game was tied and the Rams had a golden opportunity to seize the lead going into half time.

Two plays later, Javon Hargrave strip-sacked Jared Goff as Minkah Fitzpatrick scooped up the loose ball and streamed 46 yards to the end zone.

The play put the Steelers up 14 to 7, the last points the offense would see until Chris Boswell tacked on three with just over two minutes left to play. Oh, Los Angeles did attempt a comeback, but it was stopped after Robert Woods got past Joe Haden only to have Minkah Fitzpatrick intercept his pass with 20 seconds remaining to preserve the 17-12 victory.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have sent Jack Butler, Mel Blount, Donnie Shell, Rod Woodson and Troy Polamalu to Canton to represent their secondary in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

But in weeks 7, 8 and 9 of the 2019 season, Minkah Fitzpatrick may have authored the best 3 game stretch of any Steelers defensive back in history.

2020 through 2022 – Minkah Magic When The Steelers Need

Quarterbacks noted Minkah Fitzpatrick’s prowess and avoided him like the plague. Still, he scored the Steelers first touchdown against Cleveland with a pick six of Baker Mayfield in the 2020 home win over Cleveland.

As the true great ones do, Minkah Fitzpatrick displayed a knack for making timely plays at critical junctures in games.

In week 8 of the 2020 season, at the two-minute warning Lamar Jackson tried to tuck and run with it at the Steelers 3. HE made it two yards before Fitzpatrick stoned him forcing a fumble, which Robert Spillane recovered.

Minkah Fitzpatrick knocks the ball away from Wille Snead. Photo Credit: Patrick Smith, Getty Images via Fansided.com

He wasn’t done. The Steelers couldn’t kill the clock. Jackson moved the Ravens to just outside Pittsburgh’s 23, where, with 5 seconds left he had Willie Snead open in the end zone, only for Minkah to step in and deflect the pass.

Minkah Fitzpatrick after saving the day for the Steelers. Photo Credit: Boston Globe.

A week later against Dallas, he did it again, opening the 4th quarter against Dallas with an interception. Again, ended the Cowboys comeback attempt with a pass deflection over CeeDee Lamb in the end zone with 4 seconds remaining.

• Fitzpatrick added two more picks against Jacksonville two weeks later.

In 2021 Fitzpatrick “only” had two interceptions, but he made those count, negating a would-be Ravens touchdown early in the game with an end zone pick and a game the Steelers would win 19-18, thus helping Ben Roethlisberger win his final game against Lamar Jackson.

2022 was a rough year for the Steelers, but they started it with a bang. Cam Heyward sacked Joe Burrow in week one on Cincinnati’s first play from scrimmage. Not one to be upstaged, Minkah did this on the next play:

PICK SIX! PICK SIX!

Minkah Fitzpatrick anotando o TD após interceptar Joe Burrow! #NFLBrasil pic.twitter.com/m7Q7l8CMjy

— NFL Brasil (@NFLBrasil) September 11, 2022

Fitzpatrick started fast and finished strong that day. When the Bengals tied the game with 4 seconds left in the 4th quarter, Fitzpatrick didn’t fret – he fought back:

And thus the Steelers stole one from Burrow and the Bengals in overtime.

2022 was Minkah Fitzpatrick’s best season with the Steelers, as he logged additional 5 more interceptions, including victory sealers against the Falcons and then against the Ravens, the latter one coming on the heels of the “Kenny F__ing Pickett” comeback. He also batted away 11 passes, earning first team AP All Pro Honors.

Minkah Fitzpatrick with the game-sealing pick. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune Review

From 2020 to 2022, whenever the Steelers needed it, Minkah Magic delivered.

2023 and 2024, Fitzpatrick Is Seen Less than He’s Heard

Using conventional metrics, Minkah Fizpatrick’s play dipped in 2022 and 2023. He only had one interception in that two-season span. He defensed a total of 7 passes in the two seasons, or the same number that he logged in 2021.

• Pundits in some quarters rushed to conclude at, at age 29, Fitzpatrick was slowing a step.

But as Derrick Bell from Steelers Now pointed, out while we may not have heard much from Minkah Fitzpatrick, opposing quarterbacks saw him and shifted their targets accordingly.

In 2024 the Steelers defense boasted the NFL’s 2nd best 3rd down percentage, and in Bell’s estimation, how Mike Tomlin and Teryl Austin chose to deploy Fitzpatrick helped that happen. In breaking down a critical third down stop from the 2024 home win over the Ravens, Bell concludes:

This play results in a scramble drill turned prayer down the field, with the defense getting off the field on third down against the league’s best offense. These turn-downs aren’t a statistic that is measured like interceptions, stops, or forced incompletions, but having strong enough hook play to erase these beaters is crucial nonetheless.

So no one should mistake them missing splash plays from Minkah’s game recently for a lack of impact.

Minkah Fitzpatrick Trade = Cost-Benefit Calculation

Success in the NFL hinges on getting the most bang for your salary cap buck. Salarycaponomics alone indicate that mega contracts are more wisely invested in cornerbacks than in safeties. Throwing in Jonnu Smith makes this trade is a no-brainer – on paper.

Early in the off season, Steel City Insider’s Matt C. Steel argued for the Steelers to follow Philly’s blueprint and play more Cover 4. As Steel explains, “Besides a big, strong defensive front with depth, ideally, you want three corners who can cover.” Ramsey, alongside Joey Porter Jr. and Darius Slay gives the Steelers that third corner.

Two safeties @ St. Vincent’s. Photo Credit: Steelers.com

Fair enough.

The Philadelphia Eagles did something in route to victory in Super Bowl LIX that no one else has done: Make Patrick Mahomes look mortal. If the exchanging Ramsey for Fitzpatrick elevates the Steelers defense to that level, sign me up.

But Minkah Fitzpatrick was always class act in Pittsburgh and a leader both on and off the field. It says here that not only is Minkah Fitzpatrick not past his prime, his best days may be yet to come. And if that’s the case, it will be a shame that he ends up not playing them in a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform.

But so be it. Thank you Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Thank you for giving Steelers Nation Hall of Fame caliber play in the secondary not seen since the days when Polamalus and Woodsons wore the Black and Gold.

I wish you the best.

Follow @SteelCurtainRis