Family Member of Pittsburgh Steelers Owner Questions Recent Trade

The Pittsburgh Steelers have acted very differently during the 2025 offseason compared to previous years. 

It felt like the front office felt the sense of urgency coming from the fan base, leading to moves like signing Aaron Rodgers and trading for DK Metcalf and Jalen Ramsey. 

The team will look a lot different this season as they hope to get their first playoff victory since January 2017. Most notably, the Steelers will be out with former All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, and according to team owner Art Rooney II’s cousin, the coaching staff is to blame. 

“Either Minkah has lost a tremendous amount in the last two or three years in terms of ability, or they were not using him correctly,” Patrick Rooney Jr. said of the Steelers. My belief, as you know what I think of the coaching staff, is they probably weren’t using him correctly.”

While Fitzpatrick’s stats are down, particularly when it comes to forcing turnovers, he remains an elite player in the secondary. He’s an excellent run defender, and although the interceptions haven’t been there as much throughout the last two seasons, he stops many big plays on the back end. 

“The Dolphins might get a little bump getting Minkah [Fitzpatrick] back, again, if they use him better than [the Steelers] were using him,” Patrick Rooney Jr. added. 

“But the problem is, when you bring Ramsey in, if you weren’t using Minkah right, who’s gonna say that you’re using Ramsey right,” he asked. 
Rooney isn’t doubting that the Steelers got a talented player in Ramsey, but he’s skeptical about moving from Fitzpatrick, who is younger. It’s going to be fascinating to see how this trade plays out in the coming years, especially if the Rooney family is monitoring the situation.