It’s been just four days since the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins sent shockwaves through the NFL landscape with a surprising trade featuring Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith to Pittsburgh, and Minkah Fitzpatrick to Miami. The impact of the move is still being felt within the Steelers’ locker room as the team lost a significant leader.
Team captain Cameron Heyward was truly shocked and saddened by the trade of Fitzpatrick. Long-snapper and Pittsburgh native Christian Kuntz was stunned, too, but he’s come to grips with the NFL being a business and understanding that nobody is safe in this game.
Hosting the latest episode of his podcast “The Christian Kuntz Podcast” that published Thursday morning, Kuntz reacted to the trade, expressing disappointment that Fitzpatrick is out the door, but making his excitement clear regarding the additions the Steelers made, creating an even stronger roster.
“It’s the NFL, dude. This is the business,” Kuntz said in response to the trade, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “And if anybody on our team knows the business, it’s Minkah. He’s a straight businessman. Sucks losing a guy like that in the locker room, obviously, and a player like that, and a person, ’cause he’s unreal, but it’s a business, dude.”
It is a business, and the bottom line is all that matters. It’s about winning, and it can be cutthroat at times.
Entering the offseason, there seemed to be no chance that Fitzpatrick was going to be a guy that the Steelers moved via trade, even coming off of a second down season in a row that saw him record just one interception. But quietly, trade winds started to blow with Fitzpatrick dating back to March, according to a report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, and then Fitzpatrick was out the door for Ramsey and Smith.
While there’s some excitement for the additions of big names like Ramsey and Smith, there’s a void in the locker room now for the Steelers, one that won’t be easily filled.
“Shout out Mink. I’m gonna miss Mink in the locker room,” Kuntz added regarding Fitzpatrick. “As a teammate watching him work, dude, Mink’s a pro. He leads, he is a quieter guy, but he leads by example, the way he works on the field, off the field on the plane, in his playbook. It’s top tier.”
For much of his time in Pittsburgh, Fitzpatrick was top-tier on the field, too. He was a three-time All-Pro defensive back, and really helped change the Steelers’ defense as soon as Pittsburgh acquired him early in the 2019 season.
That production dried up in recent years though as Fitzpatrick went 25 games without an interception, and across the 2023 and 2024 seasons had just two combined forced turnovers, adding a forced fumble in 2024. With that lack of production, the Steelers deemed him unworthy of what they were paying him and decided to move off of him.
With the trade, the Steelers got older in the process, and a bit more expensive, too. But they added some big names that are playmakers and plug some holes on the roster that the Steelers had leading up to training camp.
Ramsey can float around in the secondary and can be an impact piece as a slot corner, a boundary corner and can even play some snaps at safety in a pinch. Smith is that much-needed additional pass catcher for quarterback Aaron Rodgers in Arthur Smith’s offense, a scheme he has a great deal of familiarity and production in.
Kuntz is excited about the weapons added, especially Ramsey, who throughout his career has been one of the best defensive backs in the NFL.
“I’m excited. Jalen Ramsey…that dude’s a splash play waiting to happen,” Kuntz said of the Ramsey addition. “Anytime he’s on the field, he could either stick you and force a fumble or just run all the way across the field, get a pick. …We have added some serious veteran defensive weapons, veteran presence on defense, on offense, Hall of Famers.
“It’s crazy.”
The Steelers have added a lot of big names this offseason, landing Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, Darius Slay at cornerback, DK Metcalf at receiver, and more. Ramsey and Smith are additional pieces that the Steelers have loaded up with, aiming to push for a Super Bowl this season.
Is that realistic with this current Steelers team? That remains to be see, but GM Omar Khan has been aggressive and has done everything in his power to try and compete this season, even while making some tough calls. It’s a business after all.
Check out the full episode of “The Christian Kuntz Podcast” below.
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