It was a minor shock when the Pittsburgh Steelers announced that they had extended DeShon Elliott. While the pay raise was well deserved after a really good first season in Pittsburgh, an extension this early was a surprise. That said, the deal is extremely solid all around for both sides.
For Minkah Fitzpatrick, however, this deal should be sounding some alarms.
While at one point in time, you could argue that Fitzpatrick was the league’s best safety, he has fallen on some hard times. No, he hasn’t bottomed out and become a liability, but his overall play, from turnovers to coverage and even run defense, has shifted much more to average as opposed to elite.
Now, with Elliott under contract for the next few years, Fitzpatrick could be shown the door sooner rather than later. If his play doesn’t pick up, he is a potential cap casualty next March.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could be heading for a split with Minkah Fitzpatrick
While it is not his fault, the entire safety market has crashed in terms of value. Despite signing his deal in 2022, Fitzpatrick remains the fourth-highest safety in terms of average annual value. You can find a lot of decent safety help for much cheaper prices.
Elliott proves that point. While not an elite player, he is a very good starter as a strong safety and box defender. His new deal only nets him $6.25 million per season, and adding in the last year of his current deal brings that average down even lower.
Given his overall decline, Fitzpatrick is massively overpaid right now. While he will be here for another season at least, 2026 could be a dramatic one.
He will have a base salary of $17.6 million and a cap charge of nearly $25 million. It will also be the final year of his contract, meaning he will certainly want a new deal. Oh, and he turns 30 next season, which means age decline is naturally creeping up on him.
Simply put, another average (or worse) season will likely result in Fitzpatrick being cut outright. Even if he plays well, can you risk extending him given how much he has struggled as of late? These will be hard questions to answer a year from now.
Before the new deal, your safety room would have all been free agents next season, except for Fitzpatrick. You likely wouldn’t have wanted to overhaul the group entirely, so that provided some extra security for the former first-round pick.
Now, at the bare minimum, Elliott will be here for the 2026 season, and replacing one starting safety isn’t that bad. It is truly put up or shut up time for Fitzpatrick.
While the turnovers get all of the attention, his overall season in 2024 was arguably his worst for the Steelers. Now, with Elliott in the fold for the next few years, Fitzpatrick is playing for his life this season.
