"I couldn’t believe it" - Ben Roethlisberger fumes as Steelers ditch cornerstone safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in shocking move to Dolphins

Ben Roethlisberger was the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers for 18 seasons. The team won two Super Bowl championships with him. However, things have not been going well for Mike Tomlin and his team since his retirement in January 2022, particularly at quarterback.

After experimenting with Justin Fields and Russell Wilson last year, the Steelers brought in 4x NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers while drafting Will Howard in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL draft.

Last month, the Steelers also traded away Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins to acquire Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith. Ben Roethlisberger was not happy with this decision. On Wednesday's episode of his podcast, the retired quarterback expressed his frustration.

"The jaws dropped and I couldn't believe it," Roethlisberger said according to an article by Steelernation. "I would say I was caught off guard with it too. I may go all over the place with this, and I may bounce around with me thoughts, but I will try to hit as many things as I can.

"I guess the first place I will go with this is I know there have been some talks in the last few years about maybe the lack of production or splash plays... They weren't happy with it, but I didn't think that it would get to this point."

Beginning his NFL journey with the Dolphins, Minkah Fitzpatrick joined the Steelers in September 2019. He had signed a four-year extension worth $73.61 million in June 2022. Last season, the safety recorded 96 total tackles and one tackle for loss for the team.

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Ben Roethlisberger calls out Steelers for replacing loyal veterans with temporary solutions

This offseason, Mike Tomlin parted ways with several veterans while acquiring new players on short-term deals. However, Ben Roethlisberger is not a fan of this cultural shake-up in Steel City.

On his podcast, he called out the team for drifting away from loyal players.

"It feels like you're losing a lot of the Steelers cultural guys that are there, that know what it is, and bringing in the guys that are one-year guys in here, maybe two-year guys," Ben Roethlisberger said. "They know about the Steelers logo, but they don't really know it. It's not branded in their chest.

"When you're losing a leader like Minkah, a guy that is just a worker, doesn't talk a lot, but works. When I was there if this would've happened, there would be some upset dudes in that locker room. I'd assume it's still the same way."

The Steelers kick off their 2025 campaign against the New York Jets in September. Only time will tell if these roster changes by Mike Tomlin help them end their playoff curse and compete in the Super Bowl.