Patriots Rumors: Why trading Jonnu Smith to Falcons is a smart move
Free agency has officially started its tampering period and the New England Patriots are already making moves.
One of the biggest questions going into 2023 was what the Patriots would do with tight end Jonnu Smith. Would they cut him before June 1st? Would they try to keep him for a third year and see if he could produce under new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien? Could the Patriots even dare to trade him? Well, we got that answer late this morning.
The Patriots traded Jonnu Smith to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a 2023 7th round draft pick. This trade ends Smith’s underwhelming career in New England.
But honestly, when it’s all said and done; this was an extremely smart move for the Patriots.
New England Patriots creating cap room with trading Jonnu Smith
A big reason for sending Smith to the Falcons is to create more salary cap space. The move itself creates about $4.5 million in cap space for a team that needs to make some splashes.
In this day of age, it’s incredibly easy for a team to restructure contracts for more salary cap space. But in this case, getting rid of a contract is so much easier.
I’m sure we’ll see another move or two by the Patriots that could make that number go up even more in the coming days.
New England Patriots giving Jonnu Smith a brand new start
Let’s face the facts, Jonnu Smith was a tremendous disappointment in his two years suiting up for the Patriots.
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In two seasons in Foxborough, the 6-foot-3 Smith only caught 55 passes for a total of 539 yards. He also had one touchdown reception in 30 games. That’s not the type of production that people were expecting when he signed a four year, $50 million contract with the Patriots two seasons ago.
The move gives the former FIU tight end a brand new start with a coach in Arthur Smith that he’s played for in the past. It will serve Smith well playing alongside fellow tight end Kyle Pitts as well in a division that is up for grabs at this point.
The bottom line with the New England Patriots trading Jonnu Smith
This move is a win-win for both teams.
The Falcons can have a tight end duo that will excite fans and give them a chance to have a prolific offense.
The Patriots can still have Hunter Henry as their number one tight end while still having some options with free agency.
I really do wish Jonnu Smith had worked out in New England. When he signed here, along with Henry; we were all thinking about how dominant they could’ve been similar to the likes of Gronkowski-Hernandez. But alas, that simply never came to fruition.
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So now, the Patriots could be looking at taking a tight end early in the draft to compliment Henry. Who that exact player could be? I’m not entirely sure.
But best of luck to Jonnu Smith. He kind of got a raw deal being here and not producing like he did with the Tennessee Titans. Now, it’s onward and upward with the rest of free agency and the 2023 NFL draft in April. You can bet that the Patriots will surprise us with something totally unexpected.