The Pittsburgh Steelers have made safety Minkah Fitzpatrick the highest-paid player in NFL history at his position. Fitzpatrick signed a four-year extension, with $36 million guaranteed at signing. His deal breaks the previous record set by Justin Simmons and the Denver Broncos, at $32.1 million guaranteed. The $18.4 million average per year also breaks a previous record of $17.65 million per year held by Jamal Adams with the Seattle Seahawks.
Fitzpatrick said: “I am very excited. I am still kind of in shock right now. It’s a blessing. I am really excited. It’s just the beginning. I am appreciative. I am thankful. Now I just want to keep on chopping. I really like it here. I have been playing well the last three seasons, at a high level. I love the atmosphere, the coaching, the tradition. Being able to continue that for the next few years is definitely a blessing.”
Steelers General Manager Omar Khan in a statement: “We are very excited to sign Minkah to a new five-year contract. Minkah is one of the top safeties in the NFL and we are thrilled he will be in Pittsburgh through at least the next five years. When we traded for him, we knew he was going to be an integral part of our defense and we look forward to that continuing as we prepare for the upcoming season.”
Since arriving in Pittsburgh in 2019, Fitzpatrick has twice been named to the Pro Bowl and twice been named first-team All-Pro. In 14 games with the Steelers in 2019, he tallied five interceptions, nine passes defended, a forced fumble and two fumbles recovered. In 2020, he posted a career-high in passes defended (11), and tacked on four interceptions (returning one for a TD), a forced fumble and a fumble recovered in 16 games. This past season, Fitzpatrick had a career-high 124 combined tackles, alongside seven passes defended, two interceptions, a forced fumble and fumble recovered.
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