It seems as if in every offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers end up facing a notable contract extension dilemma regarding one of their standout talents. This year, the Steelers front office could be in line for extension talks with free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Overall, Fitzpatrick is set to play in the final year of his current contract with the Steelers, as he will hold a $10.6 million cap hit for the 2022 season. The Steelers opted to exercise the fifth-year option of Fitzpatrick’s rookie deal last April.
As he noted during his 2022 NFL Scouting Combine press conference, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert much aspires to see Fitzpatrick stay put in Pittsburgh. However, he is not going to go all out to resolve this matter at the moment.
“Minkah Fitzpatrick’s a great player,” Colbert said. “We’re fortunate to have him. Do we want him to be part of the Steelers? Of course. But we’ll deal with that at the appropriate time.”
Colbert further added that extension talks with players such as Fitzpatrick will be on hold for the time being, especially as he aims his focus on the free agency period later this month and the 2022 NFL Draft in April.
“Everybody that’s one year out, we don’t do business with them most the time until we get through our current business, which is unrestricted free agency, then the draft, then usually we’ll move into that group,” Colbert said. “But it’s not a given. It’s not a hard line, but usually that’s when we’ve taken care of that business.”
As mentioned, the Steelers do seem to face extension dilemmas every year. Last year, the Steelers front office waited until September to finally come to terms with outside linebacker T.J. Watt on a multiyear extension deal.
Fitzpatrick featured in 16 regular season games in his third campaign with the Steelers. He finished with a career-high 124 total tackles and also recorded two interceptions, although he did not earn a Pro Bowl selection.
As it stands, Minnesota Vikings star Harrison Smith is the highest-paid free safety in the NFL today based on the $16 million average annual value deal that he signed last August. This could all change in the coming months, as Fitzpatrick and Cincinnati Bengals free safety Jessie Bates III may be in line for hefty paydays.