The NFL offseason marches on, and trade rumors have picked up pace since the important June 1 date has passed. Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith is a popular name that has been mentioned as a potential trade candidate.
One NFL insider thinks he’ll be a perfect fit for another AFC club.
Could Dolphins Trade Jonnu Smith to an AFC Rival?
Smith was a third-round pick by the Tennessee Titans in the 2017 NFL Draft. He spent the first four years of his career with the Titans and made the playoffs in three of those seasons. While he always displayed talent and upside, he never surpassed 450 receiving yards and left some to be desired.
🚨 BREAKING: The Dolphins have had trade discussions with the Steelers about Jonnu Smith, per @AdamSchefter
Smith is seeking a new contract, which has led to the Dolphins looking for a trade partner
The veteran wants to stay with the Dolphins under a reworked deal pic.twitter.com/GI9i8dzFwN
— Dolphin Nation (@Dolphin_Nation) May 29, 2025
His best season as a Titan was 2020, when Smith set career-highs in catches (41), yards (448), and touchdowns (eight). He showed how versatile a piece he could be that season, and it led to a four-year, $50 million free agent deal with the New England Patriots that offseason.
Despite the payday, Smith was a disappointment in New England. In his two-year Patriots career, he nabbed 55 receptions, 539 yards, and one touchdown. He didn’t have the best quarterback throwing to him, but Smith didn’t live up to the expectations of his contract and was traded to the Atlanta Falcons in the 2023 offseason.
While he only lasted one year in Atlanta, Smith set career-highs with 50 catches and 582 yards. The Falcons released Smith after the 2023 season, but his performance earned him a two-year, $8.4 million deal with the Dolphins.
While 2024 was a down year for the Dolphins as a team, Smith reached new heights in receptions (88) and yards (884), while tying his career-high with eight touchdowns. Miami is likely to be active in the trade market this summer, and Smith’s name has come up despite his strong performance last season.
That has led to much speculation about where Smith might end up. Sports Illustrated NFL insider Albert Breer wrote about Smith in a recent article. The insider thinks the best fit for Smith is to stay in the AFC, landing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and reuniting with Arthur Smith.
“Jonnu Smith makes all the sense in the world as a complement to Pat Freiermuth in Pittsburgh,” Breer wrote. “It also would reunite him with the coach, Arthur Smith, who’s always best known how to get the most out of him.”
Pittsburgh landing the tight end would make sense. Smith (the coach) was Smith’s (the tight end) tight ends coach, then offensive coordinator in Tennessee. Furthermore, the coach traded for the tight end while the head coach of the Falcons, and the tight end proceeded to have one of the best seasons of his career.
The Steelers have their starting tight end locked up in Pat Freiermuth. He signed a four-year, $48.4 million extension early last season and was the team’s second-leading receiver with 653 yards. Feiermuth also led the Steelers with 65 catches and seven touchdowns.
However, a Feiermuth-Smith combo would be dangerous for Pittsburgh’s offense. The quarterback situation is not yet set, but that won’t stop the team from adding pieces around the quarterback.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel talks about why he’s not focused on a potential Jonnu Smith trade. Called him an important player. pic.twitter.com/Q0VT6gol1C
— c. isaiah smalls ii (@stclaudeii) June 3, 2025
Jonnu appears to be still enjoying life in Miami, and head coach Mike McDaniel disputed trade rumors recently. While McDaniel made it seem like Smith would be staying in Miami, that very well could just be public negotiation through the media.
Trades are difficult to pull off. There are a lot of hurdles to cross before the rumors turn into an actual transaction. Smith to the Steelers makes sense on paper, but only time will tell if it comes to fruition.