The Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 NFL season has come to a close. Because the Steelers are among the 31 teams who did not finish fulfilling their ultimate goal, they are in the process of wrapping up their season and moving forward into 2024.

Since the Steelers conduct exit interviews with all their players, and the fact I have done these articles in the past, we thought we would do the same here at Steel Curtain Network. By outlining two players each day, we will be able to look at their season in retrospect as well as looking toward the future. Since Coach Tomlin has previously stated he starts his interviews with rookies and those heading into free agency, we will attempt to do the same to some degree. To start, we will pair the most recent draftees with another player at the same position (if possible) as we work through this process to eventually cover the entire Steelers roster.

After a few days off due to other Steelers news, next up are safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick and Damontae Kazee as the first of the final three articles.

Minkah Fitzpatrick

Position: Safety
Years with the Steelers: 5
Years in the NFL: 6
Contract Status: Signed through 2026
Contract Details: $21,355,000 salary cap hit for 2024. Would cost the Steelers $20,565,000 in dead money if released and save $790,000.
Games played in 2023: 10 regular season
Games started in 2023: 10 regular season
Snaps (regular season): 550 (defense), 33 (special teams)
PFF score: 73.3 (21st of 95)
Notable stats: During the regular season, Fitzpatrick had 64 tackles, 3 passes defensed, and no interceptions.

Notes: It was a very strange season for Minkah Fitzpatrick in 2023. Despite still being selected to the Pro Bowl, Fitzpatrick saw his first NFL season where he did not have an interception. Additionally, Fitzpatrick missed seven games due to injury. The strangest thing about Fitzpatrick’s absence is the Steelers went 6–1 when Fitzpatrick was not in the lineup versus 4–6 when he was playing. Rather than try to make sense of the Steelers record, the biggest thing the Steelers can do for Fitzpatrick in 2024 is get him back into the safety role he was in the previous year when he led the NFL with six interceptions. Whether or not the Steelers can add the right pieces at safety to do this will be the bigger question.

Damontae Kazee

Position: Safety
Years with the Steelers: 2
Years in the NFL: 7
Contract Status: Signed through 2024
Contract Details: $3,875,000 salary cap hit for 2024. Would cost the Steelers $875,000 in dead money if released and save $3,000,000.
Games played in 2023: 14 regular season
Games started in 2023: 9 regular season
Snaps (regular season): 772 (defense), 117 (special teams)
PFF score: 60.1 (71st of 95)
Notable stats: During the regular season, Kazee had 61 tackles, 3 passes defensed, 2 fumble recoveries, and 2 interceptions.

Notes: When DeMonte Kazee joined the Steelers in 2022, he missed the first eight games with a broken wrist yet had a solid season down the stretch as part of the three-man safety group. But with the swap of Keanu Neal coming in and the loss of Terrell Edmunds, the position did not see the same success in 2023. Additionally, Kazee was missed the final three regular season games due to a suspension, yet the team still managed to go 3–0 without both Kazee and Minkah Fitzpatrick. Whether or not the Steelers will roll back the same safety group for 2024 remains to be seen, but the manner in which Kazee was used along with Minkah Fitzpatrick saw less success than the previous season.

Make sure you check back each day for another set of exit interviews. If you have missed any of the previous articles, they are listed here:

Broderick Jones & Chuks Okorafor
Joey Porter Jr. & Levi Wallace
Keeanu Benton & Montravius Adams
Darnell Washington & Rodney Williams
Nick Herbig & Markus Golden
Cory Trice Jr. & James Pierre
Spencer Anderson & Dylan Cook
Kenny Pickett & Mason Rudolph
George Pickens & Miles Boykin
DeMarvin Leal & Armon Watts
Calvin Austin III & Allen Robinson
Connor Heyward & Godwin Igwebuike
Mark Robinson & Blake Martinez
Najee Harris & Jaylen Warren
Pat Freiermuth & Diontae Johnson
Dan Moore Jr. & Mason Cole
Isaiahh Loudermilk & Larry Ogunjobi
Pressley Harvin & Christian Kuntz
Kwon Alexander & Mykal Walker
Miles Killebrew & Elijah Riley
Chandon Sullivan & Darius Rush
Cam Heyward & Patrick Peterson
Isaac Seumalo & Nate Herbig
Alex Highsmith & Kyron Johnson
Elandon Roberts & Cole Holcomb
James Daniels & Mitch Trubisky
T.J. Watt & Chris Boswell