The New York Jets are set to acquire defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick from the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a 2026 7th round pick.
The pick Miami will acquire is the Chargers’ 7th rounder which New York received in a previous deal. As part of the trade, Fitzpatrick is expected to sign a 3 year, $40M contract extension with the Jets. The 29 year old had 1 year remaining on his current contract and is scheduled to make $17.6M in 2026.
Across eight NFL seasons, Fitzpatrick has amassed 690 tackles, 21 career interceptions and 6 forced fumbles. A 3x First Team All-Pro and 5x Pro Bowl selection, the former first rounder has earned a reputation as one of the most consistent players at his position in the NFL.
The deal clears out some much needed room for Miami on their books as it’s been reported that the team intends to release quarterback Tua Tagovailoa this week. If the team does in fact choose to move on from their former franchise QB, they’ll be sporting an NFL record $99.2M dead cap hit.
In New York, Fitzpatrick will be joining a Jets defensive unit that has been struggling to find an identity under head coach Aaron Glenn. The Jets famously failed to record a single defensive interception across the entire 2025 NFL season, and were sellers at the trade deadline last year as well.
As it currently stands, Fitzpatrick will join a DB room that features Azareye’h Thomas, Malachia Moore, Andre Cisco, Brandon Stephens, and Jarvie Brownlee Jr. After dealing Sauce Gardner to the Colts in 2025, their defensive backs group lacked household names, and is likely an area that the team will address in free agency and at the draft.
New York’s roster continues to have holes at multiple positions, most notably at quarterback. But with 2 first round picks and 2 second rounders in 2026, and 3 first round picks in 2027, the future is bright for Gang Green for the first time in several years.
Photo: Tennessee Titans. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.