Mark Madden's Hot Take: Instead of trading for Minkah Fitzpatrick, Steelers should have tanked in '19

Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick has played almost three full seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He made first-team All-Pro in 2019 and 2020 and is a key component to the defense.

The Steelers gave Miami their first-round pick for 2020 to acquire Fitzpatrick after Week 2 of the 2019 season. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger got elbow surgery after the Steelers’ Week 2 home loss to Seattle. The Steelers fell to 0-3 after losing at San Francisco in Week 3.

Fitzpatrick made immediate impact, intercepting a pass and forcing a fumble vs. the 49ers. The Steelers rallied to finish 8-8, not least because of Fitzpatrick’s contributions.

It was a terrible trade.

Tanking is in the news after accusations made by ex-Miami coach Brian Flores and ex-Cleveland coach Hue Jackson. Both say their owners incentivized losing games.

The Steelers should have tanked 2019.

It was the perfect opportunity. Roethlisberger was out for the year. The Steelers started 0-3.

Instead, the Steelers got Fitzpatrick and went 8-8, narrowly missing the playoffs.

That meant nothing. Going 9-7-1 this season to get blown out by Kansas City in the wild-card round meant nothing. Heck, starting 11-0 last season wound up meaning nothing.

Trying hard is admirable, to some. Not tanking equals integrity, I guess.

But the Steelers have won three playoff games in 11 seasons, none in the past five seasons.

Now Roethlisberger has retired. The Steelers don’t have a nailed-on starting quarterback. Fantasies abound about trading for a big name, or signing a lesser name, or drafting Pitt’s Kenny Pickett or Liberty’s Malik Willis. But none of those options are probable or legit.

The Steelers need to get their Joe Burrow.

The likeliest way to do that is finish with a real bad record, thus getting a high draft pick.

Sure, you can get lucky. Baltimore drafted Lamar Jackson with the last pick of the first round in 2018. Heck, New England got Tom Brady in the sixth round of the 2000 draft.

But, given that rationale, in 2018 the Steelers drafted Mason Rudolph three rounds earlier than the Patriots picked Brady in 2000. Rudolph should be fine, right?

The 2019 season was a perfect chance to use Roethlisberger’s injury as an excuse to go 4-12. Play youth under the guise of rebuilding. Call a few ill-advised plays. (That often happens anyway, doesn’t it?) Rely on Rudolph’s inexperience and instability, which the Steelers appear prepared to do in 2022. (Don’t forget Duck!) Let excrement roll downhill, like it does.

Before you know it, you’re 4-12 and drafting Justin Herbert with the pick you traded to Miami.

Instead, you have a real good safety, which means little unless it’s Troy Polamalu. (Fitzpatrick isn’t.) That real good safety wants a real big contract extension, BTW.

Owner Art Rooney II recently said the Steelers’ goal every season is to win the Super Bowl. How’s that working out for them?

Kevin Colbert is retiring as GM. Eddie Johnston should replace him.

Johnston was the Penguins’ GM in 1983-84. He had one job to do: Finish last, then draft Mario Lemieux.

Johnston did his job. He had a plan. Five Stanley Cups are that plan’s legacy.

The Steelers have a plan, too: finish middle, draft middle, stay middle.