News that the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins were engaged in trade talks centered around veteran tight end Jonnu Smith late last week certainly raised some eyebrows, due to Smith’s familiarity with Steelers’ offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and Pittsburgh needing another pass-catching weapon after trading away wide receiver George Pickens this offseason.
The fit would make sense for the Steelers, but it seems that it’s all about leverage for Smith as he wants a new deal from the Dolphins.
According to Smith’s agent Drew Rosenhaus, who spoke with The Miami Herald, his client wants to remain with the Dolphins due to his longtime ties with South Florida dating back to college. Rosenhaus called remaining with the Dolphins Smith’s “first choice.”
“Here’s what I will say on behalf of my client: Jonnu would definitely like to stay in Miami,” Rosenhaus said of Smith, according to The Miami Herald. “That’s his first choice. This is where he lives in the offseason. He had a record-breaking season last year. It was the best season ever for a Miami Dolphins tight end. He broke the team record for receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns for a tight end and was the team’s single Pro Bowl player. He’s an incredibly valuable part of this team.
“He went to college at FIU. His dream team is the Dolphins. Hopefully, everything works out where he can stay in Miami.”
Wanting to remain with the Dolphins makes a great deal of sense for Smith, who is coming off a career season in which he hauled in 88 passes for 884 yards and eight touchdowns, often serving as the top target for Dolphins’ quarterback Tua Tagovailao.
But entering the 2025 season, Smith is set to make just $4.8 million, which is outside of the top 30 highest-paid tight ends in the NFL.
Based on his production and his value to the Dolphins under head coach Mike McDaniel, Smith is in line for a significant raise. However, things seemingly haven’t gone all that well in Miami from a negotiation standpoint, which has led to some trade chatter with the Steelers.
While there’s a great fit and familiarity there between the two Smiths dating back to their time together in Tennessee and Atlanta, Jonnu Smith’s fit in Pittsburgh would be curious due to the presence of Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington at tight end already.
It would make for a crowded position group with a lot of mouths to feed in the passing game. Plus, there’s that uncertainty with the quarterback position the Steelers are dealing with this offseason, waiting around for a decision from Aaron Rodgers.
Money is seemingly the main reason Smith is being talked about via trade, particularly with the Steelers. But as Rosenhaus made quite clear, the veteran tight end wants to remain in South Florida with the Dolphins, a place he calls home.
That statement from Rosenhaus is firmly putting the ball in the Dolphins’ court under GM Chris Grier, who has handed out some lucrative contracts over the last few years to the likes of Tyreek Hill, Jalen Ramsey, Xavien Howard, Tagovailoa and more.
Now, his tight end wants a new deal, and rightfully so. We’ll see if the Dolphins and Smith can reach an agreement, or if Smith gets shipped to Pittsburgh. Either way, it looks like the Steelers are being used in negotiations once again regarding a disgruntled player and a team largely unwilling to budge from a financial aspect.
