The Pittsburgh Steelers are pushing all their chips into the center of the table this season in hopes of earning a playoff berth, but one reporter offered up a fascinating trade scenario involving one of the team's stars.
The Athletic's Mike DeFabo conjectured that the Steelers should shake things up with their safety group in the offseason and gauge interest around the league in Minkah Fitzpatrick given his lack of big plays this year.
"If I’m the Steelers, I take a hard look at this position group in the offseason," DeFabo wrote. "Many teams pinch pennies at safety, feeling that they’re often interchangeable. Look at how much value DeShon Elliott has provided for a fraction of the investment. Fitzpatrick still has a strong reputation around the league. If he isn’t producing much splash, it’s really not the craziest idea to see how much another team would offer in a trade and whether the Steelers could fill this role with a more cost-conscious solution."
During his first four seasons with Pittsburgh from 2019 to 2022, Fitzpatrick logged 17 interceptions over 61 games, three of which he took the distance for touchdowns. He also recovered four fumbles and forced three over that time frame, one of which went for a score, while tying for the league lead in picks with six in 2022.
It's been a bit of a different story since the start of the 2023 campaign, however. Over 18 contests, Fitzpatrick has yet to force a turnover of any kind and hasn't looked like the elite ball hawk that he once was. That's not to say he isn't still one of the league's best players at the position, but his style has noticeably changed.
DeFabo noted that fact as well, stating that Fitzpatrick's value can't solely be derived from his takeaways and that he's still a valuable part of the Steelers' defense.
"Fitzpatrick is playing a lot better than the raw turnover numbers would suggest," DeFabo wrote. "He’s a reliable tackler and a deterrent when he’s in the middle of the field, which I think is part of the reason why the rest of the DBs have so many PBUs and INTs. So by no means is he playing poorly."
Safety simply isn't a position that's valued as highly as most others on the defensive side of the ball, and perhaps Pittsburgh believes it could recoup some value on Fitzpatrick's contract by dealing him elsewhere.
With cap hits of $22,355,000 and $24,455,000 over the next two years, the Steelers would likely take on a sizable amount of dead money this upcoming offseason if they were to move on from the four-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro. It could end up being worth it, however, if they find a viable replacement for Fitzpatrick at a lower price point while spreading around the wealth to other important pieces of the puzzle over future seasons.
