Jets Veteran Still Has Support After Some Down Years
· Yahoo Sports
He still has it.
A panel of scouts, coaches, and league executives was tasked with naming the top-10 safeties in the NFL heading into 2026. While New York Jets defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick didn’t crack the list, he did receive top-10 votes.
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ESPN NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler listed him in the “also receiving votes” category.
Brutal Honesty on Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick, 29, will turn 30 during the 2026 season.
He is as decorated a defensive back as you will see in the NFL this century. A five-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro.
However, over the last three years, he has had a total of only two interceptions. During the first five years of his career, Fitzpatrick racked up 19 interceptions.
So what gives?
Did Fitzpatrick completely fall off a cliff? Or was it because of how the defensive coordinator deployed him?
“The Steelers will undoubtedly study the film from 2022, but a stat line study reveals a difference in the schemes, too. In 2022, Fitzpatrick lined up at free safety for 76% of his defensive snaps. In 2023, Fitzpatrick’s percentage of snaps at free safety decreased to 51%, according to data from ESPN Stats and Info,” ESPN’s Brooke Pryor wrote in June of 2024.
“With injuries and suspensions significantly affecting the secondary, Fitzpatrick moved around more in 2023, playing 16% of snaps in the slot compared to just 8% a year earlier. And he spent nearly 30% of snaps lined up in the box, marking a new career high. Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin admitted that positioning didn’t allow Fitzpatrick to play to his strengths,” Pryor added.
Obviously There Aren’t Many People Who Believe It’s Scheme Related
Actions speak louder than words.
If more teams thought it was a scheme-related issue, then more people would have been interested in Fitzpatrick when he was on the trade block.
On March 1, ESPN’s Rich Cimini talked about Fitzpatrick being on the trading block. A week later, he was traded to the Jets for a 2026 seventh-round pick.
Other teams thought his play was dropping off. If they didn’t, the Jets would have had to pay a higher price than a seventh-round pick. The Dolphins‘ decision to give up their former All-Pro player to a division rival for the lowest draft compensation possible also sends a message about what they thought of the player.
This should provide plenty of bulletin board material for Fitzpatrick heading into 2026.
“I like moving around, I like being able to give the quarterback different looks,” Fitzpatrick said via Jets contributor Jack Bell. “I think when you just sit in a half or post, they know that you’re back there, and they could dial stuff up for you, but they could also avoid you. So, I like being a chess piece. It doesn’t necessarily have to be in the slot, but I don’t like being a moving target.”
The good news for the Jets is that this move is a relatively low-cost versus high-reward type proposition. Obviously, the $40 million extension from the Jets puts a little bit more skin in the game, but they believe there is still plenty more good football in his body.
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