On Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers made Minkah Fitzpatrick the highest-paid safety in the NFL with his new five-year, $73.6 million contract. The contract has $36 million in guaranteed money.
This type of money puts pressure on Fitzpatrick to live up to this new deal and play like the top safety in the NFL. But according to Fitzpatrick, that should be no problem. He firmly believes he is the best at what he does.
Last season, Fitzpatrick led the defense last season with 124 total tackles. After hauling in nine interceptions in his first two seasons, Fitzpatrick only had two in 2021. This was due in large part to him being forced to increase his role in run support.
The league currently has a group of seven or eight safeties who can all make the claim they are the best all-around free safety in the league. This puts Fitzpatrick’s play under the microscope, not just by the team but by other players looking to cash in.
