1 of 5 | Miami Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick speaks to reporters at a news conference Monday in Miami Gardens, Fla. Photo by Alex Butler/UPI
Minkah Fitzpatrick ended his media hiatus Monday to speak about his departure from Pittsburgh and desire for a long-term union with the Miami Dolphins.
The star safety, traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers on June 30, took part in the Dolphins’ fifth training camp practice Monday in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Fitzpatrick declined to meet with reporters and was inactive on social media in the weeks since his trade. He said that silence was not due to frustration about returning to the Dolphins, who drafted him in 2018 and traded him away the next season.
“I’ve been here in the building for about a week now and I’m extremely excited about this season,” Fitzpatrick said. “I think we have a very, very high ceiling. We have a lot of young, hungry, passionate guys combined with a lot of guys who have played a lot of games and have a lot of accolades.
“This is an organization that I’m extremely proud to be a part of, and again, my silence was nothing to do with my feelings towards the Dolphins organization.”
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Fitzpatrick initially touched down in Miami after being selected with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. The star defender was touted early on for his versatility, leading the Dolphins to use him at cornerback, safety and nickel back. He requested a trade in his second season after voicing frustration over the ways he was used.
Fitzpatrick went on to become a three-time first-team All-Pro and perennial Pro Bowl selection while with the Steelers, who made him a fixture at free safety. Now 28, Fitzpatrick may not be the same player he was earlier in his career, but he expects to be a key contributor to the Dolphins during his second tenure in Miami.
“I enjoyed my time there and I played with some great teammates,” Fitzpatrick said of his tenure in Pittsburgh. “It was very unfortunate the way things ended, but it’s a part of the business and I’m extremely excited to be a Miami Dolphin again.”
Fitzpatrick experienced unmatched stability while in Pittsburgh, led by Mike Tomlin, the longest-tenured coach in the NFL — 19 years. Meanwhile in Miami, the Dolphins had three different head coaches and are on their fifth different defensive coordinator since Fitzpatrick entered the league.
Several of Fitzpatrick’s new teammates expect the veteran to make a massive impact on the defense and locker room overall, even when he isn’t speaking. He gave fans a glimpse of his raw ability and playmaking skills with an acrobatic interception at Saturday’s session at the Baptist Health Training Complex.
“Minkah is very quiet, but when he does talk, everybody listens,” Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle said. “He’s got one of them personalities when he gets on the field. Just got that dawg, brings that energy.
“He’s been here a couple days, but it’s just like the defense gravitates toward him, it feels like when he’s in and makes a big play.”
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said his initial impression of Fitzpatrick was excitement because the safety had the energy he was hoping for. He also lauded Fitzpatrick for his investment in teammates.
“I see a guy that doesn’t underestimate the importance of earning his relationships within the team, like understanding that you need to get to know people before you can affect them or influence them or help them,” McDaniel said.
“So I see him really leaning into a lot of relationship building within the team which tells me what I already knew, that he somewhere sees himself as a leader of this team that wants to earn it the right way and that’s how you do it.”
Fitzpatrick signed a four-year, $73.6 million contract extension with the Steelers in 2022. Pittsburgh restructured that pact a year later. The Dolphins restructured his contract again over the weekend, adding a $16.2 million signing bonus and moving $2 million of his 2026 money into 2025.
He’ll need to step up his game if he wants to return to his All-Pro form. Pro Football Focus gave Fitzpatrick a Top-10 defensive rating among safeties in three of four seasons from 2019 through 2022. He also was consistently rated among the best run defenders at the position.
Fitzpatrick, who started all 17 games last season, received Pro Football Focus’ 23rd-best defensive rating among safeties who were in for at least 50% of the maximum snaps played at the position in 2024. He received the 29th-best defensive rating among safeties who played at least 20% of the maximum snaps played at the position in 2023.
“I’m really liking the energy and the direction that this is going,” Fitzpatrick said. “I think the culture of this locker room is one that wants to win and win now, but it’s also something that I want to earn. I know it was reported that I wanted a new contract, but I just wanted to know that I was going to be here for more than a season and I got that.
“And now, I’m going to go out there, play All-Pro, Pro Bowl level and hopefully earn the respect of my teammates and the organization to have that long-term contract.”
