(Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
Minkah Fitzpatrick has been named first-team All-Pro the last two seasons after the Steelers acquired him in a trade with the Dolphins in September of 2019. He came at a cheap price too with being on his rookie contract and he's set to make just $2.7 million in 2021. For this reason, Bleacher Report listed Fitzpatrick as having the best-value contract on the Steelers.
"The Pittsburgh Steelers have benefited from bargain rates for two of the best defensive players in the game," Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report wrote. "Edge defender T.J. Watt and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick were All-Pros in 2019 and 2020 despite making less than $2 million apiece in each of those campaigns."
"But Watt is no longer cheap. He's arrived at his $10.1 million fifth-year option and is likely to earn a long-term deal that could break records. Fitzpatrick is a year behind, and while his fifth-year bump is on the horizon, the 24-year-old playmaker will cost just $2.7 million in 2021."
The Steelers placed the fifth-year option on Fitzpatrick in late April and he's scheduled to make $10.621 million in 2022, but he should receive a long-term deal before then.
In March, Justin Simmons signed a four-year, $61 million contract with the Broncos that included $35 million guaranteed. The new deal made him the highest-paid safety in the league, averaging $15.25 million per year. Fitzpatrick should cash in on a big deal after this season and surpass Simmons as the highest-paid safety.
Gagon also noted how inexpensive the Steelers' receivers are in Chase Claypool, Diontae Johnson and James Washington, who make less than $2 million per year on their rookie deals as Day 2 draft picks. The Steelers wide receivers caught 30 touchdown passes last season, which led the NFL. The receivers combined for 297 catches for 3,096 yards, and they were all 24 or younger.
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