NFL News: Minkah Fitzpatrick breaks silence after rejoining Tua Tagovailoa’s Dolphins

An offseason full of movement brought Minkah Fitzpatrick back to South Florida after several years wearing the Steelers jersey. Now with much more NFL experience under his belt, the safety broke his silence and spoke about his return to the Miami Dolphins, where he’ll share the field for the first time with Tua Tagovailoa.

Following multiple seasons in the AFC North, fate brought the former Alabama standout back to the team that gave him his first NFL opportunity back in 2018 — only this time, he returns more mature and with significantly more experience.

During a recent conversation on Monday with reporters at Mike McDaniel’s training camp, Fitzpatrick expressed his excitement about this new chapter in his career and highlighted the differences between the player who first entered the league and the one he is today.

“I would say I’m definitely a lot more emotionally mature,” he explained. “I think I was very emotionally unintelligent back then. Like I just said, I learned from my mistakes and I tried to grow in that area. I tried to get to know the people around me better and learn how to communicate, learn how to not communicate. Just stuff like that, for sure.”

Minkah Fitzpatrick #29 of the Miami Dolphins practices at Baptist Health Training Complex on July 28, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida.

The culture shift in South Florida

Fitzpatrick’s early departure from the Dolphins might have suggested that a return wouldn’t come with the best attitude. However, the safety made it clear he holds no hard feelings about what happened in the past. Instead, he emphasized the cultural shift in Miami — something he believes will lead to more wins than losses moving forward.

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“Definitely. Like I said earlier, I’m really liking the energy and direction that this is going,” he said. “I think the culture of this locker room is one that wants to win and win now, but it’s also something that I want to earn. I know it was reported that I wanted a new contract, but I just wanted to know that I was going to be here for more than a season and I got that.

“And now, I’m going to go out there, play All-Pro, Pro Bowl level and hopefully earn the respect of my teammates and the organization to have that long-term contract.“

Aiming to be a long-term Dolphin

Fitzpatrick’s hope of signing a long-term deal in Miami isn’t just tied to the vision shared by Chris Grier and Mike McDaniel, but also to the desire of stepping onto the field at Hard Rock Stadium as many times as possible.

“I think there’s a standard that Mike and Grier are trying to set and I think it’s working hard, being disciplined, being committed to this team, stripping yourself of ego,” he said. “It’s a very ego-driven sport and I think the best teams are the teams that remove the ego, let down the mask and the pride and play winning football, winning team football — offense, defense, special teams — and that’s the message that they sent to the team. It’s the same message that they sent to me.”

The safety also added: “I’m very excited. It’s very nostalgic. We played here two seasons ago and I remember pulling up to the stadium and walking on the field. I felt like I was back in time and now it’s the same feeling, just being back down here. Obviously, it’s a different facility — it’s a beautiful facility — but like I said, it’s very nostalgic. A lot of the staff and trainers and stuff like that is the same, so it was almost like I just went back in time.”