Minkah Fitzpatrick is settling into a new spot in New York, but the conversation around him still keeps circling back to Miami. On The Pivot Podcast, the veteran safety opened up about why he wanted out of the Dolphins the first time, and he made it clear the issue wasn’t his role on the field. It was where he believed 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 highlighted Fitzpatrick’s remarks on X and said the safety framed the departure around the team’s direction, 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
Miami made Fitzpatrick the No. 11 pick in the 2018 draft, but the first run ended quickly. He played just 18 games for the Dolphins before they sent him to the Pittsburgh Steelers early in the 2019 season.
That move aged about as badly for Miami as any trade can. Fitzpatrick went on to become a three-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler in Pittsburgh, with 18 interceptions, 45 passes defensed and 516 tackles over six seasons, according to Steelers Depot.
The podcast wasn’t only about Miami, either. Fitzpatrick also said he looks back on his time in Pittsburgh with some regret, specifically over how he handled his role once he settled into the Steelers’ 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.”
That’s where Fitzpatrick said the conversation around him misses the point. What made him special, in his view, was never just one deep spot on the back end. It was the ability to move all over the field and handle different assignments depending on what the defense 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.”
Fitzpatrick’s career has already taken another turn back to South Florida and then away again. The Dolphins brought him back from Pittsburgh in June 2025 in the deal that sent Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith to the Steelers. He started 14 games for Miami last season, finishing with one interception, six passes defensed and 82 tackles.
That second Dolphins stint was short, too. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported in March that Miami traded Fitzpatrick to the Jets for a 2026 seventh-round pick. The New Jersey native then signed a three-year, $40 million extension with $20.5 million guaranteed, according to Spotrac.
There’s also a familiar face waiting for him in New York. Jets defensive coordinator Brian Duker and safeties coach Ryan Slowik both came over from Miami’s staff, so Fitzpatrick walks into a setup with built-in comfort as the Jets reshape their secondary around him.
The important part now is simple: Fitzpatrick is a Jet, and he’s under contract through at least 2028. But his comments helped explain a question that has hung around since his first departure from Miami.
His answer wasn’t about touches or usage. It was about the bigger picture - the kind of picture he believed he saw in Miami long before the trade became reality.
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