In one of the biggest moves of the current offseason, the Miami Dolphins acquired Minkah Fitzpatrick via trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers. On Sunday, Miami’s front office reworked some of the money on the 28-year-old safety’s contract, and saved themselves $11 million in the process.
Dolphins Rework Fitzpatrick’s Contract, Save $11 Million
The new contract has benefits for both parties. The deal will still expire after the 2026 season, but Fitzpatrick will see a chunk of it converted into immediate money. By way of a signing bonus, he will earn just over $16.2 million in guarantees for 2025, which gives him a small raise for the year as well.
By converting $2 million of Fitzpatrick’s 2026 salary into this year’s signing bonus, the Dolphins now have some added cap space. They now have $11 million extra to spend on roster improvements, and they’ve been active on the free agent market in recent days.
Dolphins and their recently-acquired safety Minkah Fitzpatrick have agreed to a revised contract, adding a $16.245 million signing bonus to his deal. There had been no guaranteed money left on the contract, and no additional years were added. “We are comfortable with this… pic.twitter.com/MNODoAf7W5
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 27, 2025
The Dolphins entered training camp with one of the least talented cornerback units in the NFL, and early injuries haven’t helped the cause. On Saturday, Miami signed a pair of veteran corners in Mike Hilton and Jack Jones, who should be on track to see a significant amount of snaps in the coming year. The added money available will help with those signings as well as any other impending moves before the start of the regular season.
Fitzpatrick is beginning his second stint with the Dolphins. After drafting him with the 11th overall pick in 2018, the team traded the talented ball hawk after just 18 games, as it was reported that he was unhappy with his situation in Miami. He spent the last six seasons with the Steelers before being dealt in a trade for Jalen Ramsey.
The #Dolphins signed Minkah Fitzpatrick to a revised contract, moving up $2 million to this year in a move that clears about $11M in cap space.
So it’s a $2M raise this year for Fitzpatrick, who is now due $17.5M in 2025 and $15.6M in 2026, and more flexibility for Miami. pic.twitter.com/35NDqrcFRt
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 27, 2025
Minkah Fitzpatrick is a five time Pro Bowler and has been named as a First Team All-Pro three different times. The advanced analytics suggest that he had a drop-off in his coverage performance over the last couple of seasons, and his total of 1 interception in that time reflect that notion. He will be an important piece for the secondary of the Dolphins, as he is easily the most talented piece of the defensive backfield.
