Steelers Great Ben Roethlisberger Detailed How Pittsburgh Would’ve Responded To The Minkah Fitzpatrick Trade During His Era

The Pittsburgh Steelers made a trade that resulted in fans getting more questions than answers. While Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith could be key contributors to the team, the price may have been a bit too much. Minkah Fitzpatrick was a leader and still a quality safety at age 28, but he was shipped off as the team tried to shuffle up the defensive core. Losing him could be quite the sting for many players in the locker room, especially on the defense. 

Former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger may not be on the roster anymore, but he still isn't a big fan of the trade. While hosting his show, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, he explained how the locker room would have felt if something like that happened while he was still playing.

"What's the locker room thinking right now when you're losing a leader like Minkah; a guy that is just a worker, doesn't talk a lot, but works," Roethlisberger asked. "When I was there, if this would've happened, there would be some upset dudes in that locker room. I assume it's still the same way."

It sounds like the locker room feels the same way about the deal now than it would've if it happened while Roethlisberger was still there. Defensive captain Cameron Heyward was clearly not a fan of losing him. Sure, Fitzpatrick wasn't making the same types of plays that he used to, but he was still great as a deep safety that didn't let anything go over his head. He was still a player that many young players looked up to. 

Later on in the show, Roethlisberger was asked about if the deal was positive or not, despite the loss of Fitzpatrick. He still doesn't feel great about the whole situation.

"Not being in the locker room, so again, if I'm answering it off of when I was in the locker room with Minkah, I would not say it's a net positive -- just because he's a dude, he's a leader. He's a guy that just goes about his business -- because of how high I view Minkah," said Roethlisberger.

There's more to being a good safety than just making a handful of splash plays during the season. As mentioned before, he did great in coverage when he was playing deep safety. Whenever he needed to creep into the box to help stop the run, he did well with that too, as he racked up 96 tackles in 2025, as well as a forced fumble. He did what he was asked to do, but it seemingly wasn't enough. 

Fitzpatrick was a great player for Pittsburgh, a great teammate, and a great leader. Roethlisberger, someone who spent a few years as his teammate, doesn't see this as a good move for the Steelers. Heyward, who currently plays and has been a teammate of his ever since Pittsburgh traded for him in 2019, said that he was "kind of shook" by losing him. 

Steelers Locker Room Got Much More Unstable

The Steelers had a big locker room leader in Fitzpatrick, but they replaced him with a player that is allegedly a cancer. Ramsey has been known for talking trash nonstop throughout his career. While Tomlin may like that confidence and swagger, that might not matter. Ramsey needs to prove that he can still play at a high level, that's the bottom line, especially if he's going to continue his excessive trash talking.

The Steelers traded away George Pickens in an attempt to have a more stable locker room. However, adding Ramsey, DK Metcalf, and Aaron Rodgers to the mix may not be the greatest way to help with that due to their own history of drama. They all have their own baggage and personal issues. Metcalf and Ramsey were bitter rivals back when they were both in the NFC West. This is a very bold decision by Pittsburgh, and it could blow up in its face.

What do you think about Roethlisberger's take on the Fitzpatrick trade? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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