The Pittsburgh Steelers are in trade discussions to acquire Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Smith, who turns 30 in August, has deep ties to Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Smith was drafted by the Tennessee Titans when Arthur Smith served as the team’s tight ends coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator. Jonnu Smith was also traded to the Atlanta Falcons in 2023 when Arthur Smith served as the team’s head coach.
In four years under Arthur Smith in Tennessee, Smith caught 114 passes for more than 1,300 yards and 16 touchdowns. His best season came in 2020, recording 41 receptions for 448 yards and eight scores.
In their lone season together in Atlanta, Smith again put up good numbers. He caught 50 passes for 582 yards and three touchdowns. Last season, Smith had his best season to date. He caught 88 passes for 884 yards and eight touchdowns, making his first Pro Bowl.
Jonnu Smith is a name we’ve suggested in the past as a potential Steelers connection given his ties to Arthur Smith, who has an affinity for multiple tight end personnel groupings.
As Schefter notes, Smith is looking for a reworked deal. He’s currently slated to earn $4.8 million in 2025. Schefter report indicates Smith wants to stay in Miami but if a new deal can’t be struck, a trade is likely to occur.
The Steelers’ current tight end room consists of Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington as starters. Connor Heyward has been a multi-phase special teams player while the team signed former Los Angeles Chargers tight end Donald Parham Jr. in the offseason. Pittsburgh also signed athletic tight end JJ Galbreath following this year’s draft.
It’s unclear what trade compensation acquiring Jonnu Smith would require but it likely wouldn’t be a high pick. Though discussions are ongoing, given his ties to Arthur Smith, it wouldn’t be surprising if a deal was finalized in the near future following June 1, which would give Miami additional cap relief.
