Two games into Minkah Fitzpatrick’s second NFL season, the Miami Dolphins traded the former Alabama All-American to the Pittsburgh Steelers. On Monday, the Dolphins got Fitzpatrick back.
Miami and Pittsburgh are swapping all-star defensive backs in an NFL trade, with the Dolphins sending disgruntled cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Steelers for Fitzpatrick, a three-time All-Pro safety, the Miami Herald, NFL Network and ESPN reported on Monday.
Ramsey announced he was headed to Pittsburgh via social media on Monday, with ESPN reporting the trade comes with a new deal for Ramsey worth $1.5 million more in 2025, boosting his compensation for the coming season to $26.6 million.
The Steelers also are receiving tight end Jonnu Smith and a 2027 seventh-round pick, with the Dolphins getting Fitzpatrick and a 2027 fifth-round draft pick. The Miami Herald reported Pittsburgh had doubled Smith’s salary for 2025 to $12 million as part of the trade.
After using the 11th choice in the 2018 NFL Draft to add Fitzpatrick from the Crimson Tide, Miami sent the defensive back, a 2020 fourth-round pick and a 2021 seventh-round pick to Pittsburgh on Sept. 16, 2019, for first- and fifth-round picks in 2020 and a sixth-round pick in 2021.
Fitzpatrick earned the first of his five Pro Bowl selections that season. He also was a first-team All-Pro pick in 2019, an honor he would earn again in 2020 and 2022.
Fitzpatrick intercepted 17 passes in his first four seasons with the Steelers, including tying for the NFL lead with six in 2022. But in the past two seasons, Fitzpatrick totaled one interception.
Ramsey has been a seven-time Pro Bowler and also has earned first-team All-Pro recognition three times in nine NFL seasons.
At Alabama, Fitzpatrick was a two-time consensus All-American. He won the Bednarik Award as the nation’s best defensive player and the Thorpe Award as the nation’s best defensive back for the Crimson Tide’s CFP national-championship team in 2017.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at@AMarkG1.