As Aaron Rodgers reflected on his first week with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the quarterback who joined the club just in time for mandatory minicamp didn’t only praise his offensive weapons.
Rodgers praised veteran defensive lineman Cam Heyward as “the OG of the team” whose leadership he “loves watching.” And Rodgers praised the Steelers’ 2024 offseason acquisition of linebacker Patrick Queen as “a dog” to compete against.
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In between the two, the four-time MVP gave more football-specific praise to one defender.
“Just talking to Minkah [Fitzpatrick], I mean what a high football IQ that guy has,” Rodgers said last week on «The Pat McAfee Show.» “It’s been really interesting just to watch him practice and then to pick his brain in the locker room.”
How quickly things change.
The Steelers and Miami Dolphins agreed Monday morning to a trade that sends Fitzpatrick to Miami in exchange for cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith.
The Steelers also dealt their 2027 fifth-round pick in exchange for the Dolphins’ 2027 fifth, with Miami covering $3 million of Ramsey’s $26.6 million salary in 2025, ESPN reported.
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The trade surprised the league for multiple reasons, perhaps chief of which is yet another move in an unusually active offseason for the Steelers. A club that has long preached patience, and building a roster through draft-and-develop tactics, has abandoned that approach this spring.
At receiver, Pittsburgh has acquired DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks and dealt George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys. At defensive back, they’ve now moved Fitzpatrick and acquired Ramsey. And at quarterback, of course, their lengthy pursuit of Rodgers paid off when he officially signed in June. Smith will bolster their tight end group.
Some were quick to wonder whether the Steelers are “all in” with their acquisitions of Rodgers, Metcalf, Ramsey and Smith. But league coaches and executives view Pittsburgh’s message differently.
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With players not just in but also out, and space in their salary cap and cash spend, multiple sources characterized the Steelers approach less as an “all-in” look and more as a “win-now” mode.
This aligns with Rodgers’ announcement last week that he’s “pretty sure” 2025 will be his last season in the NFL.
So as Pittsburgh eyes its high ceiling (albeit low floor) at quarterback with the four-time MVP they signed for 2025, they’re structuring their roster moves accordingly.
They’re considering their recent regular-season success and subsequent playoff struggles, and responding by turning what could be considered a “lukewarm” trade out of context into a justifiable risk, one high-ranking AFC executive said.
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“They paid a premium for talent upgrades at spots they deemed impactful because it is worth more to them in their current roster state with an aging core trying to get over the wild-card hump than it would be if they were a 13-win team or a five-win team,” the executive told Yahoo Sports. “They are taking on financial risk, age risk and cultural risk, but you can understand it.
“You can at least understand the logic.”
What are Steelers gaining, losing with this trade?
Trading away Fitzpatrick should not be understated.
The 2018 first-round pick earned three All-Pro nods and five Pro Bowl berths in six seasons with the Steelers. Coaches and executives around the league view him as a top-tier safety whose production has easily validated his cost. On and off the field, he has elevated players around him.
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“Minkah is an elite safety,” one offensive assistant who has faced both Fitzpatrick and Ramsey in the last two years told Yahoo Sports. “Elite instincts and ball skills.”
Multiple sources noted their belief that Fitzpatrick, at 28 years old, has more high-level football left than the 30-year-old Ramsey. They appreciated Fitzpatrick’s lower salary cap, though one source wondered how soon the Dolphins would extend Fitzpatrick, who is due $15.5 million this year compared to Ramsey’s $26.6M. Fitzpatrick’s locker room presence has been steadier than that of Ramsey — who has been traded from the Jacksonville Jaguars to the Los Angeles Rams to the Miami Dolphins to the Steelers.
Did the Steelers need the Smith bump to justify the defensive shift?
Sources were split on the 2025 returns, but one AFC defensive assistant said they’d prefer Ramsey over Fitzpatrick on their 2025 roster.
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“Both guys are at the end of their prime,” the assistant told Yahoo Sports. “[But cornerback] is a premium position. More value on third down, red area and two minute [drills because of] man matchups.
“Ramsey is now on a better team with a Hall of Fame head coach.”
The Steelers can likely use Ramsey in a versatile role, shifting him between responsibilities typical of an outside cornerback, inside cornerback, safety and nickel.
Jalen Ramsey (right) has proven to be a playmaking cornerback with strong ball skills, and he could be a valuable addition for the Steelers. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
(Kevin Sabitus via Getty Images)
The offensive assistant who coached against Ramsey lauded him as a dynamic player with elite instincts and ball skills, while questioning his speed at age 30.
“I think he’ll struggle with elite WRs who can run,” the assistant said. “[Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr] Chase will eat him up.”
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Smith’s value at tight end may be less analyzed than the defensive swap, but will nonetheless boost Pittsburgh as he reunites with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who coached Jonnu Smith with the Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons.
Arthur Smith knows his tight end’s skill set well — and can also study film from 2024, when Jonnu Smith set career highs with 88 receptions and 884 receiving yards. He tied a career high with eight touchdowns.
One NFC executive credited the Steelers with getting Smith thrown into the package.
“He was productive,” the executive said, “and [Pittsburgh] had the leverage.”
Why Steelers’ trade return dictates a two-part lens
Perhaps it’s worth viewing the Steelers’ future in two separate buckets.
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Ask questions specifically about the competence and competitiveness of the 2025 Steelers — and then consider separately what the franchise will look like in 2026 and beyond.
Pittsburgh and Tomlin seem comfortable with that dichotomy. There’s no reason to believe they can’t be competitive in 2026, and doubting a head coach whose 18 years includes no losing seasons seems silly.
But there’s reason to believe that 2026 and beyond aren’t the Steelers’ primary strategic goals right now.
Tomlin and the Steelers’ last Super Bowl title followed the 2008 season, their last Super Bowl appearance after 2010. The franchise has advanced to the playoffs nine times since then. They have not won a playoff game their last five postseason berths.
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“They’ve been good for many, many years,” said one NFC executive with a Super Bowl on their résumé. “At some point, you gotta take a swing.
“You owe it to the fans.”
Pittsburgh seems to be taking that swing, while falling far short of the Los Angeles Rams’ “f*** them picks” mantra. The Steelers have not fully mortgaged their future to bolster their present.
They’ve tilted their moves toward 2025 success while limiting the draft capital and salary cap sacrifices in future seasons.
Now, the Great Rodgers Experiment continues, without the defender whose brain he most enjoyed picking during minicamp but with another top-tier defender whose brain perhaps the quarterback can begin to pick.
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The experiment continues with a productive tight end to complement existing strength Pat Freiermuth, and the experiment continues with all sorts of swings that Tomlin and the Steelers are taking in ways that Tomlin and the Steelers so rarely take.
Will it work?
Either way, the Steelers should have options in the months and years to come .
“The trade feels more short-term [rather than] going ‘all in,” an NFC executive said. “I’m not seeing it as the only levers they can pull.”
