Minkah Fitzpatrick is returning to South Florida and the Miami Dolphins, who drafted him in the first round seven years ago. The former All-Pro safety should be considered a monster addition, but is it?
It will be interesting to hear what Fitzpatrick thinks about his trade to the Dolphins, a team he desperately wanted to get traded from. He got his wish when Brian Flores and Chris Grier traded him to the Pittsburgh Steelers a year after they drafted him.
Fitzpatrick went on to earn five Pro Bowl selections and three first-team All-Pro honors.
The Dolphins needed help at safety, and Fitzpatrick can provide it. The question is whether or not he is happy about this surprising return.
Mike McDaniel is as far from Brian Flores as you can get. That should make Fitzpatrick happy enough, but the Dolphins may still be making a mistake.
The 2024 season wasn't Fitzpatrick's best; in fact, it was one of his worst with the Steelers. He got a big payday, and that adds more money to the Dolphins' future cap situation. Fitzpatrick is the highest-paid safety in the NFL and will count $24 and $25 million over the next two seasons. Miami just inherited that mess.
Could Chris Grier make the mistake of giving Minkah Fitzpatrick more money?
Getting Fitzpatrick back is great news for a team that needs the help, and frankly, the All-Pro is better than what the Dolphins have now. He may not fix the boundary corner need, but it's still a good start to fixing the totality of issues in the secondary.
The concern, however, is whether Grier will restructure the contract that will give him more guaranteed money over the next two seasons or add a third season to his deal. If he does, he is pushing money around, and that won't help the team down the road.
Adding the safety fills a big need, and it should be considered a solid move by Grier and the Dolphins, but nothing Grier does is this simple and near-perfect. There is always some detail that we are missing, and that is what we are waiting to hear about.