Minkah Fitzpatrick has a new home in New York, but he’s still explaining why he wanted to leave Miami the first time around. Speaking on the latest episode of The Pivot Podcast, the veteran safety looked back on his rookie contract stint with the Dolphins and pointed to one factor above all: where the franchise was headed.
“The reason why the first time, I [saw] what they were doing with the season and that’s why I wanted out,” Fitzpatrick said, laughing as he recalled the decision. “I knew what was going on. That’s why I left that first time.”
NFL insider Joe Schad posted about the comments on X, noting that Fitzpatrick framed his exit around the direction of the team rather than how he was being deployed on the field: “‘I [saw] what they were doing with the season and that’s why I wanted out,’ Minkah Fitzpatrick says of first Dolphins stint and trade. Minkah says it was about this, not how he was being used.” —
“I [saw] what they were doing with the season and that’s why I wanted out,” Minkah Fitzpatrick says of first Dolphins stint and trade. Minkah says it was about this, not how he was being used. pic.twitter.com/y6V62mpqQx
— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) August 12, 2026
From Miami’s first-round pick to a Pittsburgh trade
Miami drafted Fitzpatrick No. 11 overall in 2018, and he lasted just 18 games before the Dolphins shipped him to the Pittsburgh Steelers early in the 2019 season. That trade turned into one of the more lopsided deals of the decade. Fitzpatrick became a three-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler, racking up 18 interceptions, 45 passes defensed and 516 tackles over six seasons in Pittsburgh, according to Steelers Depot.
He didn’t just look back at Miami on the podcast. Fitzpatrick also admitted he regrets how he handled his role once he settled into Pittsburgh’s defense.
“In Pittsburgh I definitely regret the way I handled the situation,” Fitzpatrick said. “When I first got there they just plugged me in at post safety, half safety. And I played well there. After a while quarterbacks aren’t going to be throwing you the ball a whole lot and I kind of got pushed into that role.”
Versatility as Fitzpatrick’s calling card
Getting locked into one deep-safety assignment, Fitzpatrick explained, buried the part of his game that made him valuable in the first place — his ability to move around the formation and cover tight ends, slot receivers or play the deep half depending on what the game plan needed.
“People forgot that what I was known for was my versatility and doing different things,” Fitzpatrick said. “I’m a good football player so no matter where you put me on the field I’m going to be a good football player. But I think where my capabilities are maximized is when I could do different things.”
That’s a real tension in how teams use elite safeties. A player who can rotate between deep coverage, the box and the slot forces offenses to guess. Park him in one spot too long, and quarterbacks stop testing him — which can quietly shrink a safety’s interception numbers even as his overall impact stays high.
Back to Miami, then on to the Jets
Fitzpatrick’s path eventually looped back to South Florida. The Dolphins reacquired him from Pittsburgh in June 2025 as part of the deal that sent Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith to the Steelers. He started 14 games for Miami last season, picking off one pass, defending six others and racking up 82 tackles.
That second Miami stint didn’t last either. With the Dolphins undergoing a full roster reset, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Miami traded Fitzpatrick to the Jets in March, sending him to New York for a 2026 seventh-round pick. Fitzpatrick, a New Jersey native, signed a three-year, $40 million extension with $20.5 million guaranteed as part of the move, according to Spotrac.
The homecoming angle runs deeper than geography. New Jets defensive coordinator Brian Duker and safeties coach Ryan Slowik both came over from Miami’s staff, giving Fitzpatrick built-in familiarity as he steps into a Jets secondary that’s being rebuilt around him.
| Stint | Team | Games | Notable Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 (rookie deal) | Dolphins | 18 | Traded to Steelers |
| 2019–24 | Steelers | — | 18 INT, 45 PD, 516 tackles, 3x All-Pro |
| 2025 | Dolphins (re-acquired) | 14 | 82 tackles, 1 INT, traded again |
| 2026– | Jets | — | 3-yr, $40M extension |
What it means now
None of this changes Fitzpatrick’s situation on the field — he’s a Jet, under contract through at least 2028. But the comments fill in a gap that’s lingered since 2019: why a talented rookie defensive back pushed his way out of a team that had just drafted him in the top 15. Fitzpatrick’s answer wasn’t about scheme fit or playing time. It was about believing Miami’s season, and its trajectory as a franchise, wasn’t going where he wanted to go.
Whether that same instinct plays into how his second Jets chapter unfolds remains to be seen. For now, Fitzpatrick heads into 2026 with the versatility he says was undervalued in Pittsburgh restored to his usage plan — and a fresh AFC East backdrop to prove his point.
