The Dolphins-Jonnu Smith saga keeps going. After a report indicated Miami was not expected to unload Smith, ESPN’s Adam Schefter indicates talks between the Dolphins and Steelers on the veteran tight end are back on.
Smith has expressed a desire to stay in Miami, but he is angling for a new contract. The sides have talked about a new deal, per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, Omar Kelly and Isiaah Smalls Jr., though it does not sound like an extension is close. While Mike McDaniel said Tuesday he wants Smith on the 2025 roster, a player who rebounded from down New England years is underpaid relative to his recent production.
“Jonnu is a very important player and person to me, and the guys,” Mike McDaniel said, via Kelly. “The thing that we can stand on is his professionalism and how he goes about his business. There are times that business can play a part, for sure. And a team can make it as complicated as they like if they have a lot of time to focus on what’s going on with Jonnu. I’d encourage them to focus on what’s going on in their game.”
Entering the second season of a two-year, $8.4MM deal, Smith is coming off an 884-yard season. As Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle‘s production decreased during a disappointing Dolphins season, Smith provided a spark. As he heads into an age-30 season, time is running short for the former Arthur Smith charge (in Tennessee and Atlanta) to capitalize on his prime form.
A Schefter report earlier today noted Smith was unlikely to be moved. A trade would certainly deal a blow to the Dolphins’ ability to complement Hill and Waddle at tight end, and as McDaniel and Chris Grier‘s seats do not appear particularly cool, dealing a quality tight end without a clear path to replacing him would be quite the risk.
Smith is staying away from the team until at least mandatory minicamp, and Kelly adds the Dolphins viewed the first of these rumors — which emerged last week — as a leverage play from Smith’s camp. That would indicate suspicion these are not genuine trade talks, though we have now heard them surface on multiple occasions. It would seem odd if that were a leverage play on the player’s side, as the Dolphins would obviously need to pull the trigger on a deal. But here we are, as this situation has now generated is approaching the Jalen Ramsey matter for update volume.
Arthur Smith could use Jonnu Smith in a Steelers offense lacking proven auxiliary playmakers, though Pat Freiermuth presently stands as the team’s top D.K. Metcalf complementary piece following the George Pickens trade. Pittsburgh also rosters Darnell Washington at tight end, making these Jonnu Smith talks rather interesting.
The Steelers clearly want to add another weapon to their offense after sending Pickens to the Cowboys. The repeated links to Smith suggest that he is their top target, but they have been in touch with multiple teams in recent weeks.
Pittsburgh’s persistent pursuit of Metcalf dated back to the 2024 trade deadeline and was eventually rewarded in March. However, they may have trouble extracting Smith out of Miami if the Dolphins don’t think they can find a suitable replacement by the start of the season.