Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick may be part of a mass offseason exodus of high-priced veterans in Miami. The Dolphins have discussed a Fitzpatrick trade with other teams, veteran insider Jordan Schultz reports. It’s unclear if they have made progress in those talks.
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Fitzpatrick, a Dolphins first-round pick in 2018, is in his second stint with the franchise. His first run ended when the Dolphins traded him to the Steelers in September 2019 for a package headlined by a 2020 first-rounder. The Dolphins wound up re-acquiring Fitzpatrick in a swap involving another decorated defensive back, Jalen Ramsey, and tight end Jonnu Smith last June.
Fitzpatrick did not add to his five Pro Bowl nods and three first-team All-Pro selections in his first season back in Miami. However, the 29-year-old still put together another productive season.
Over 14 games (all starts), Fitzpatrick tallied 82 tackles, six passes defensed, two fumble recoveries, an interception and his first career sack. Logging a significant number of snaps in the slot, at free safety and in the box, Pro Football Focus ranked Fitzpatrick a superb fifth among 91 qualifying safeties.
Despite his strong output, the floundering Dolphins were open to trading Fitzpatrick before last season’s Nov. 4 deadline. Nothing came together then, but with a new regime of general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley, the rebuilding Dolphins are making over their roster. Fitzpatrick could soon follow wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, outside linebacker Bradley Chubb and guard James Sanders out the door**.** The team also figures to give quarterback Tua Tagovailoa his walking papers sometime soon.
The Dolphins were unable to trade the released group of Hill, Westbrook-Ikhine, Chubb and Daniels. Meanwhile, they’ve hit nothing but roadblocks in attempting to move Tagovailoa. Finding a taker for Fitzpatrick should be easier. He’s due a non-guaranteed base salary of $15.6MM in 2026, the last year of his contract. The Dolphins would take on approximately $13MM in dead money with a pre-June 1 trade, but they’d free up $5.83MM in cap space.