Jonnu Smith no-show at Dolphins minicamp, Zach Sieler in attendance

Miami Herald

a day ago

The Miami Dolphins will seemingly close out the off-season program without one of the team's top players.
Dolphins Pro Bowl tight end Jonnu Smith — who led the Dolphins in receptions (88) last year and set franchise records for tight end productivity in receiving yards and touchdowns — was nowhere to be found Tuesday, seemingly skipping out on the mandatory team activity, which escalates concerns about his contract and future with the team.
On the other hand, leading defensive tackle Zach Sieler, who has produced 20 sacks in the past two seasons and is a crucial component of the Dolphins' line, was in attendance, despite the fact he, too, has been in contract discussions with the team.
'We've been in communication, but I don't want to get into the personal details,' head coach Mike McDaniel said at Tuesday morning's press conference. 'We are focused on building the Dolphins today, and anything outside of that would be a distraction.'
McDaniel did not confirm whether Smith would face the upwards of $105,000 fines for missing minicamp, although he did note that Jalen Ramsey's absence is excused.
In the 2024 season, Smith emerged as a pivotal weapon in Miami's offense, setting franchise records for a tight end with 88 receptions, 884 receiving yards, and eight touchdowns. He was also the Dolphins' lone Pro Bowl selection last season.
After this breakout year, Smith is reportedly looking for more — hoping to cash in and rework his two-year deal, which is worth $8.4 million. After all, he's a record-setting tight end and still doesn't rank among the 30 highest-paid at his position league-wide considering he'll make less than $4.1 million this season if his contract isn't addressed.
'A lot has been written and said about Jonnu over the past week or so,' Smith's agent Drew Rosenhaus said during his weekly segment on WSVN-7 prior to Tuesday morning's first mini camp practice. Notably, Rosenhaus additionally represents Sieler. 'I'll just say that right now Jonnu's situation is fluid. We are in discussions with the Dolphins, and I'm just going to leave it at that.'
Evidently, the conversations continue, as the Dolphins and Steelers continue conversations about trading Smith to Pittsburgh, where he'd be reunited with his former offensive coordinator.
As the Dolphins pinch pennies, they appeared to have a similar problem with Sieler, whom McDaniel said has attended every OTA day, but has skipped the on-field work for unclarified reasons.
On and off the field, Sieler has been a cornerstone of the defense, recording 10 sacks for the second consecutive year and earning 2024 team MVP honors.
Despite the ongoing conversations between the two parties and his visible absence from field work, Sieler was expected to participate in Tuesday's work. However, McDaniel couldn't specify how much he'd do.
As both Sieler and Smith approach 30 years old — which is often seen as the twilight of an NFL career — they remain some of the league's biggest bargains. Sieler's $10.2 million average salary ranked 50th among defensive linemen when he extended his contract in 2023 through this season.
'My job is to react and control my controllables and make sure that people are moving in one direction appropriately,' McDaniel said of all the trading and contract negotiation rumors. 'And so the Business is business. The opportunity that business does provide in the off season is a rep to the team about handling noise— things that don't have to do with what you're actually there to do, and you should be focused on doing.'