Miami Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is being docked double following two unsafe plays during Week 11.
The NFL announced Saturday that Fitzpatrick has been fined $12,172 for a low block with 5:27 remaining in the first quarter, along with an additional $17,289 for a hip-drop tackle at the 10:07 mark of the second quarter.
In total, he was penalized nearly $30,000 for unnecessary roughness violations stemming from the Week 11 matchup against the Washington Commanders, a game Miami won in Madrid, Spain.
Fitzpatrick also received an unnecessary roughness/facemask fine last season while playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Dolphins (4–7) are currently on their bye week and will return in Week 13 on Nov. 30 to host the New Orleans Saints.
Minkah Fitzpatrick Happy to Back in Miami
Earlier this season, team ownership parted ways with longtime general manager Chris Grier and publicly committed to head coach Mike McDaniel through the end of the season.
Fitzpatrick shared in an ESPN story earlier this season that he was happy to be back with the Dolphins after being drafted by Miami in 2018 and traded to Pittsburgh one year later.
During training camp, Fitzpatrick spoke about the nostalgic feeling of returning to Hard Rock Stadium and South Florida as a whole. But the move back to Miami carries significance for him beyond football.
GettyMADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 14: Minkah Fitzpatrick of Miami Dolphins speaks to the media in the press conference ahead of their NFL 2025 game against Washington Commanders at Riyadh Air Metropolitano on November 14, 2025 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)
His family lives in nearby Palm Beach County, having relocated from New Jersey shortly after he was drafted. As he settles back in with the Dolphins, Fitzpatrick finds comfort in reuniting with his close-knit family and in being present for his younger brother Justice’s final high school football season.
Although Minkah became one of the NFL’s premier defensive players during his time in Pittsburgh, the distance made it difficult to maintain the same connection with his family back home in Florida.
“It was tough. We missed a lot of events,” he told ESPN. “We missed a lot of birthdays and stuff, but they came up a good amount even during the season. … It wasn’t always everybody, but they were just trying to get somebody up there at least once a month. We would always try and spend one of the holidays together, whether that be Thanksgiving or Christmas. And then I’m down here during the offseason, so I got to see them for half the year.
“You miss a lot of events, but it’s an unfortunate part of business.”
Dolphins Coach May Have Salvaged Job
According to The Palm Beach Post, McDaniel may have survived the turbulence in Miami and could return as the Dolphins’ head coach next season. Miami has won three of its last four games, and it appears general manager Grier may end up being the scapegoat instead.
GettyMADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 14: Mike McDaniel, Head Coach of Miami Dolphins, speaks to the media in the press conference ahead of their NFL 2025 game against Washington Commanders at Riyadh Air Metropolitano on November 14, 2025 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)
McDaniel holds a career regular-season record of 32–30. He guided the Dolphins to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons, with postseason losses to the Bills and Chiefs. After an 8–9 finish last year, expectations were high, but Miami has struggled for much of this season, with both the offense and defense ranking in the bottom half of the league.
Around the NFL, two head coaches have been dismissed so far this season—Brian Daboll by the Giants and Brian Callahan by the Titans. In most “next coach to be fired” odds, McDaniel trails only the Falcons’ Raheem Morris, the Raiders’ Pete Carroll, and the Cardinals’ Jonathan Gannon.
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