At this point in the NFL offseason, it's rare to see a trade as most teams have their 90-man rosters locked in heading into training camp.
If anything, teams will look to sign veteran free agents who are surprisingly still available to fill a void on their roster. However, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins didn’t receive that memo on Monday, as they pulled off a blockbuster trade involving former New England Patriots tight end Jonnu Smith.
According to Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Miami traded the ex-Patriots tight end, Jalen Ramsey, and a 2027 seventh-round pick to Pittsburgh in exchange for Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
Full trade terms per me and @RapSheet:
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) June 30, 2025
Dolphins have agreed to trade CB Jalen Ramsey, TE Jonnu Smith and a 2027 7th round pick to Pittsburgh in exchange for S Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 5th round pick. pic.twitter.com/npKjAyEydb
This marks the second time in Smith’s career that he’s been traded. The first time involved the Patriots, who sent the veteran tight end to the Atlanta Falcons in March 2023 after two mediocre seasons in New England.
The Pats signed the veteran pass catcher to a massive four-year, $50 million contract in free agency in March 2021. However, Smith struggled to live up to those expectations. In his first year in New England, he had 28 receptions (45 targets) for 294 yards and a touchdown. He followed that up with a pedestrian 2022 season, posting 27 receptions (38 targets) for 245 yards.
Fast forward three years, and Smith is traded again, despite having a tremendous 2024 season with the Dolphins. The ex-Patriots tight end had 88 receptions (111 targets) for 884 yards and eight touchdowns with Miami.
Patriots fans would’ve loved to see that type of production in New England when Smith was there, but for some reason, it just never materialized.
Now, the 29-year-old tight end hopes to make a similar impact in Pittsburgh this upcoming season. However, it might not come to fruition as the Steelers already have Pat Freiermuth at tight end. But with Aaron Rodgers at QB and Arthur Smith at OC, we could see more two tight end sets in 2025.