The Miami Dolphins made a splash move on the last day of June, trading away cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers to acquire safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
While dealing Ramsey was not necessarily a surprise considering the public nature in which both sides discussed their interest in parting ways, a potential exit hadn't been as concrete for Smith, who made his first public comments on the trade Wednesday night and said it wasn’t what he expected at the end of the season.
“I didn’t foresee this happening with how the season went for me individually,” Smith said on retired Dolphins offensive tackle Terron Armstead’s podcast. “Obviously I had aspirations of ending my career in Miami, with it basically being home for me, my children, my family. But I understand the business side of it, and it didn’t work out. I’m grateful. I’ve got no ill feelings toward Miami and nobody in the organization.
“I can’t sit here and lie and say it didn’t sting when the process was playing itself out.”
Smith is coming off of the first Pro Bowl season of his career in his first campaign in Miami. He racked up 884 yards on 88 receptions with eight touchdowns, all franchise records for a tight end. It was a big jump for him in his eighth year after having never recorded more than 582 yards previously, stepping into the spotlight after injuries to Tua Tagovailoa and Jaylen Waddle and struggles from Tyreek Hill stalled Miami’s once potent offense.
For many players, such a performance would be followed by a pay raise or extension, and Smith was looking for that type of recognition going into the second season of his two-year deal with the Dolphins.
“We go through the year, bro, and obviously as a team it was a disappointment, and that does play a factor in a lot of decision making after the season,” Smith said. “But for me I felt that I was in a position that I thought that I was one of the key ingredients to help this team succeed. And after the season ended, me and my agent, we’re like ‘This is a no-brainer, we’ll be here forever.’”
Miami, already strapped for cash with little cap space to work with, wasn’t willing to pay Smith what he wanted, and the talks that Smith said started in January never came to a full conclusion.
Trade rumors swirled for the last month, but through it all Smith reiterated that he wanted to remain a Dolphin right up until the news broke Monday that he would be part of the Steelers-Dolphins mega deal.
“Going through that process, I was hurt. I didn’t think that collectively -- as an organization, players, coaches -- I didn’t think that [they believed] trading Jonnu Smith, that’s where our success starts.”
Smith described the mixed feelings he battled in balancing the professional and personal feelings around staying versus leaving, but added that he appreciated the Dolphins not being “sour about the situation” in the end and allowing him the chance to join a team that would be able to pay him commensurate with his view of his value.
“Eventually it came a point and time when they told me that they just can’t do it, it wasn’t economically able to put me in a position to be paid like a Pro Bowl tight end. And that one stung, and we tried to figure it out and we just couldn’t,” he said. “...I had to make the decision to say ‘Man, well I’ve got to go where I am appreciated and viewed on paper, economically, contract-wise as a top guy in this league which I know I am. And Pittsburgh was the team that saw me as that.”
The Steelers will now pay Smith the money he was hoping for with a one-year, $12 million extension, and he’ll join an offense that’s overall light on star pass-catching weapons, but heavy on tight ends, with Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington also on the depth chart.
Just where and how he fits into the scheme of offensive coordinator Arthur Smith -- an old friend from from their Titans and Falcons days -- will be revealed in time, but the tight end is nevertheless ready for the next chapter.
“You always want to be where you’re most valued and appreciated, and that’s the situation that I found myself in with Pittsburgh. So I’m excited, bro,” he said.