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Mike Tomlin opens up about Steelers trading Minkah Fitzpatrick: ‘Got to make tough choices’

by Sinclair Mills

Published On: July 25, 2025

LATROBE, Pa. —

Pittsburgh Steelers

head coach

Mike Tomlin

loved coaching All-Pro safety

Minkah Fitzpatrick

. However, when the Steelers had the opportunity to acquire both Jonnu Smith and

Jalen Ramsey

, the team set aside its plans and made a tough decision.

The Steelers moved on from the star who became the cornerstone of their secondary, offloading his salary and declining production back to the team that initially drafted him and traded him to the Steelers.

Tomlin admits the decision was not easy, and other challenges have arisen from losing Fitzpatrick, but with Smith and Ramsey in the fold, the team deemed it worth the gamble.

“Very difficult. His experience here and the production that he gave us speaks for itself. But you got to make tough choices, and obviously I’ve been talking glowingly about two top notch players that we acquired in that. But I don’t obviously lessen the impact of a player like Minkah. We’re really excited about the acquisition of two significant players on both sides of the ball, particularly as it pertains to the passing game. Certainly, it’s created challenges in other areas that I’m excited about sorting through in an environment like this where we divide the labor up and see who is capable of what,” Tomlin said.

Fitzpatrick was a star free safety for the team, but the Steelers did not get splash plays out of him after they made him the highest-paid safety in the NFL after he became a superstar following the team’s trade for him in 2019.

As for the Steelers side of this, Ramsey now enters his age-31 season, but the Steelers will likely use him as a chess piece who plays safety, slot cornerback, and outside cornerback whenever asked by the team. Smith is largely viewed in the same light on the offensive side of the football.