Breaking Down the Agent Reaction to the Minkah Trade Report

The Miami Dolphins very well could be involved in trade discussions at the scouting combine, and given the media reports from last week the name of Minkah Fitzpatrick will come up.

We explained last week why the idea of trading Fitzpatrick makes perfect sense for the rebuilding Dolphins, but his agent Drew Rosenhaus has made it clear it's not because his client wants out.

"There was a report that said that the Dolphins are shopping Minkah; I was not the source of that report, and neither was Minkah," Rosenhaus said during his weekly appearance on South Florida TV station WSVN. "So right now, the only comment that I have is that Minkah himself has not gone to the Dolphins and said that he wants to be traded. If there were to be a trade that would be based on other factors.

"But we've not gone to the Dolphins and said that he wants to play for a contender or that he would want to leave. So that is not accurate. Whether or not the Dolphins are shopping Minkah, that's private at this time, and so I'm not going to acknowledge whether that's accurate or not at this point."

WHY A MINKAH MOVE MAKES SENSE

The Dolphins announced the release of three veterans last week — Tyreek Hill, James Daniels and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine — and there was a report that Bradley Chubb also had been told he would be released. And any list of the remaining players on the roster who might or likely will be moved has to include Fitzpatrick because of his combination of age, market value and fit for a team that's going to get younger and likely will be worse before it gets better.

So the Wednesday afternoon report from NFL insider Jordan Schultz that the Dolphins have had trade discussions regarding the five-time Pro Bowl selection really should have come as no surprise.

Fitzpatrick, whom the Dolphins re-acquired last summer when they sent mercurial cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers, stands out as a veteran on this Dolphins roster who could bring something tangible in a trade beyond getting rid of a bad contract.

After restructuring his contract following the trade, Fitzpatrick has a $18.8 million cap number for 2026, after the Dolphins gave him a signing bonus of more than $16 million.

His base salary for next season is $15.6 million, which might be a bit high for a rebuilding team, but certainly not for a team with playoff aspirations that could use a player of Fitzpatrick's ability.

GOOD MOVE FOR BOTH PARTIES

From Fitzpatrick's standpoint, it never was a stretch to suggest he likely would welcome a trade even if he hasn't requested one because he's staring at a second major rebuilding project as a member of the Dolphins, and he didn't have much of an appetite for the first one in 2019.

While this may not have been the sole or even main reason he wanted out early that season — his role on defense and his relationship with then-coach Brian Flores also were factors — it certainly contributed to his wishes.

Fitzpatrick is seven years older and probably not in the mood to go through growing pains while the Dolphins' new regime of Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley establishes itself.

So this clearly is a case of a trade maybe being the best scenario for all involved.

Fitzpatrick had, by all accounts, a solid season in 2025, but he also wasn't a difference-maker on a young and revamped defense.

It's possible he again would be wasted on the 2026 defense.

But he could make a difference for a contender, like he did with Pittsburgh after the Dolphins traded him after two games in 2019 in exchange for a 2020 first-round pick that became the 18th overall that year and was used on tackle Austin Jackson.

Now that he's older, Fitzpatrick won't fetch another first-round pick in a trade, but maybe a Day 2 pick isn't out of the question, like a third-round pick or even a second-round pick if the Dolphins throw in something like a fourth- or fifth-round choice.

That, quite frankly, would be of more value to the Dolphins than having him on a roster that likely won't be producing a ton of wins immediately.

There's a small salary-cap component to all this, with the Dolphins saving almost $6 million of cap space with a trade, but this would be more about doing what's best for both parties.

Now, having discussions doesn't automatically mean that Fitzpatrick will be traded, but it's clearly a distinct possibility, as should have been obvious from the start.

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