The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a very uncharacteristic offseason in 2025. The organization completely turned over the quarterback room while pursuing four-time league MVP Aaron Rodgers. It made a trade to acquire DK Metcalf before trading George Pickens away, and now, Pittsburgh has found a way to land All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Fans were excited at first, but then it was reported that Pittsburgh had traded away Minkah Fitzpatrick in the deal. Fitzpatrick has been great for the Steelers, but there is no denying that his play has declined over the last two seasons.
Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers
Former Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick makes a play against the Chiefs in Week 17 of the 2024 regular season.
Pittsburgh has always had a lot invested in the defense. Over the last several seasons, the franchise has had the highest-paid defense in the league, and that trend will continue into the 2025 season. The amount invested in the defense made many question the drop off the unit had in 2024. Near the end of the year, the team was playing like a shell of itself, and the group as a whole was being picked apart by some of the better offenses in the NFL.
During that time when the defense was crumbling, players were discussing how people weren't doing their job. Some defenders were missing assignments, and the trade suggests that Fitzpatrick might have been a big reason for that.
Nobody named names, but when guys ON THE TEAM were talking about 10 guys doing one thing & one guy not doing his job, they were talking about Minkah. This move is a result of that. #Steelers
— David Todd (@DavidMTodd) June 30, 2025
There is no denying that Fitzpatrick is a very talented player, but when one person doesn't do their job, it can mess everything up. It can leave holes in the defense, which is then easy for some of the top offenses in the NFL to take advantage. Troy Polamalu used to go off on his own and play off of his instincts and talent, but he had Ryan Clark with him to cover in the backfield. It seems like Fitzpatrick was seemingly trying to do everything himself.
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Former Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick makes a huge tackle against the Commanders in 2024.
There is no proof to this, but it has been speculated by many. Several players spoke to the media near the end of the 2024 season, and no one mentioned a specific name, but all players seemed to agree that someone wasn't doing their job on the defensive side of the ball. The trade would make perfect sense if that player mentioned was Fitzpatrick. Team insider Ray Fittipaldo also believes there might be something to that idea.
Minkah Fitzpatrick was set to count almost $23 million against the cap this year and had not produced to the level he did from 2019-2022. Don't discount the communication and chemistry issues that were present for much of last season. The secondary was in disarray in Dec and Jan.
— Ray Fittipaldo (@rayfitt1) June 30, 2025
Teams play their most important games of the season in December and January. This is when franchises are vying for playoff positioning, and unfortunately that is exactly when the defense fell apart for Pittsburgh last year. If this trade helps Pittsburgh avoid that, then it will go down as a great move, especially since the organization was able to bring in both Ramsey and Jonnu Smith.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Former Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick during the last day of OTAs in 2024.
Steelers Could Have Had Other Players Responsible For Defensive Collapse
The defense playing horribly to end the 2024 season isn't entirely on Fitzpatrick. There were other players that could have been at fault, but it is hard to ignore the signs of this trade. A player like Cam Sutton could have been an issue, who came back halfway through the year after being suspended. It could have also been one of the younger players on the roster, but many signs point to the main issue being Fitzpatrick.
What do you think about this theory? Was Fitzpatrick to blame? Let us know in the comments below!
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