The Pittsburgh Steelers invested a first-round pick in safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, after having already played 18 games for the Miami Dolphins, in 2019. You don’t make such a move for a player whom you don’t believe is going to be with you for the long term.
While that course is inevitable, Fitzpatrick nonetheless recently talked about the Steelers’ decision to pick up his fifth-year option as though it were a relief, rather than a given. Of course they were going to pick it up. And of course he’s not going to play under it before he signs a long-term contract next offseason.