The year is 2019, the Pittsburgh Steelers just lost franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to a season-ending elbow injury. Steelers fans are frantic with pessimism about the rest of the season, and then, something out of the ordinary happened.
Reports came out that the organization was trading for FS Minkah Fitzpatrick to secure a prominent starter in centerfield on the backend of the team's defense. NFL analysts ridiculed the move at the time, due to the feeling that the season was lost or over, due to the situation at quarterback. The Black and Gold refused to throw the season away, though.
Pittsburgh Steelers Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick celebrates after recovering a fumble against the Tennessee Titans on December 19, 2021. CREDIT | Matt Freed/Post-Gazette
Fast forward three years later, Fitzpatrick has turned into a superstar and a leader on this Steelers defense. The team's other defensive leader, Cam Heyward recently joined the 3 And Out with John Middlekauff podcast recently and was asked about his thoughts on the Steelers' rare in-season trade for Fitzpatrick back in 2019.
"Well, I talked to Kevin Colbert about this many times," Heyward stated on the podcast. "When he did that trade for Minkah, it solidified that we weren't throwing away the season. And we were in that game in San Francisco the week Minkah came. Minkah didn't even know the entire playbook, but when Minkah got out there, I think he caused a fumble and then had an interception and was just making plays.And I went to Kevin in the middle of that game. I was like, 'I appreciate you doing that. We needed that.' But I think when you have a guy like Minkah, man, he gives you an opportunity, and we have a lot of good players. And we knew Ben was hurt now for the season, but we were not ready to throw away the season. It kind of gave us that confidence. Like, we don't care who's at quarterback, we still compete."
Pittsburgh Steelers Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick celebrates after a late-game interception against the Los Angeles Rams on November 10, 2019. (Credit | Steelers.com)
The trade gave fans the same hope and let everyone know, the Steelers weren't going down without a fight in that 2019 season. The team finished that season with a record of 8-8. Obviously, not the type of season Steelers fans were hoping for prior to the beginning of the season, but it was a successful season under the circumstances the franchise played under that year. The Steelers rallied from a 1-4 record to get back to .500 on the back of that Fitzpatrick trade.
Here we are now, with a perennial All-Pro free safety in Fitzpatrick that the Steelers have been looking for for quite some time. He just got absolutely PAID and rightfully becoming the NFL's highest paid player at his position. Fitzpatrick is in Pittsburgh for at least the foreseeable future. He truly embodies what it means to be a Pittsburgh Steeler and his approach to football and life goes hand in hand with one of HC Mike Tomlin's famous sayings.
Since acquiring Fitzpatrick in a mid-September trade, the Steelers have won seven of 10 games. The safety has eight of the team’s league-leading 28 takeaways, and two touchdowns, over that span. Credit: Keith Srakocic/Associated Press
Looking back on that 2019 trade, it's safe to say that it was the right move for the franchise. Even in a season where it seemed like all hope was lost, Fitzpatrick came in and created a spark for the team and gave the team confidence for the rest of the season. The trade will continue to pay dividends for the Steelers defense for years to come!
What are yinz thoughts on Heyward's comments about the Steelers' 2019 trade for superstar free safety, Minkah Fitzpatrick? Sound off in the comment section below, or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!
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