Subscribe
Follow Us
The Miami Dolphins turned plenty of heads this offseason when they traded cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a package centered around star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
The decision to trade Ramsey was expected, and the Steelers were always a logical landing spot as a team that needed more secondary help. However, the inclusion of Fitzpatrick in the deal was a stunner and made it a very rare player-for-player deal in the NFL.
Now, with Fitzpatrick in the fold, the Dolphins have slightly tweaked his contract to better fit their cap sheet. They moved some money around to clear up cap space and also gave the three-time All-Pro a $16.245 million signing bonus for this season, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
“Dolphins and their recently-acquired safety Minkah Fitzpatrick have agreed to a revised contract, adding a $16.245 million signing bonus to his deal,” Schefter reported on X, formerly Twitter. “There had been no guaranteed money left on the contract, and no additional years were added.”
Fitzpatrick isn't slated to be a free agent until 2027, but he and the Dolphins are still working on a long-term contract extension that would keep him in Miami throughout the rest of his prime and into his 30s.
The former Alabama star started his career in Miami, so there will be some familiarity there as he returns to the place that drafted him. However, the Dolphins look a lot different than they did back in 2019 when Fitzpatrick was traded away initially, so there will be a little but of adaptation needed.
The five-time Pro Bowler had a down year in 2024 after struggling with injuries in 2023, but the Dolphins will be hoping that he can get back to his 2022 form this fall. During that campaign, the best of his career, Fitzpatrick notched a league-leading six interceptions and was named First Team All-Pro for the third time.
Now, with a new signing bonus in his pocket and a contract extension hopefully in the works, the Dolphins' new star in the middle of their defense will hopefully be ready to bring his A-game to the gridiron this fall.
