Minkah Fitzpatrick Linked to Former Team, with his Dolphins Future in Limbo

Minkah Fitzpatrick Linked to Former Team, with his Dolphins Future in Limbo

The Miami Dolphins have cleaned house of their veterans of late.

They’ve moved on from several of their most talented players from last season — including wide receiver Tyreek Hill and linebacker Bradley Chubb — in a series of cost-cutting moves under this new leadership, and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick could be the next seasoned, high-impact player who’s a casualty.

Fitzpatrick’s age and contract make him stand out as a candidate who could be released or traded soon. At 29 years old, he doesn’t really fit the winning timeline of this new era of Dolphins football, and he’s set to earn a chunk of change in the 2026 season with a projected cap hit of nearly $19 million.

With Fitzpatrick’s fit on a rebuilding Dolphins team looking shaky at best, one ESPN writer has linked the All-Pro to the Pittsburgh Steelers, his former team. Brooke Pryor floated a potential Steelers-Fitzpatrick reunion as a possibility, though she also noted that Pittsburgh would only be able to acquire the safety if Miami got rid of him under certain circumstances. The Dolphins would have to release him, as the Steelers can’t add Fitzpatrick to the fold via the trade route.

“Another potential reunion to keep an eye on involves safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, whom the Steelers traded to the Miami Dolphins last year,” Pryor wrote. “Fitzpatrick is under contract for one more season, but with a new regime, the Dolphins could either trade or release him. The Steelers can’t trade for Fitzpatrick, but he could be an option if he is released.”

Fitzpatrick spent five-plus seasons of his NFL career, from midway through the 2019 campaign through the 2024 season, playing for the Steelers and enjoyed a whole lot of both individual and collective success there. Across his stint in Pittsburgh, he played for four playoff teams and led the league in total interceptions with six in 2022.

His chapter in Pittsburgh came to a close after the Steelers traded him to the Dolphins last offseason in a blockbuster deal. Miami acquired the five-time Pro Bowler along with a fifth-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, while the Steelers netted cornerback Jalen Ramsey, tight end Jonnu Smith, as well as a seventh-round pick in 2027.