The cases for and against the Dolphins trading TE Jonnu Smith

USA Today

5 days ago

The cases for and against the Dolphins trading TE Jonnu Smith
The Miami Dolphins' 2025 outlook took a surprising turn Thursday when ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the team has been in talks with the Pittsburgh Steelers about a potential trade involving tight end Jonnu Smith.
That was a jarring report as it comes just a few months after Smith was the only Dolphins player to earn Pro Bowl honors for the 2024 season.
According to Schefter, the trade discussions were prompted by Smith's desire to receive a new contract from the Dolphins heading into the 2025 season. So how should Miami proceed? We at Dolphins Wire have differing opinions:
The case for keeping Jonnu Smith (via Jason Sarney)
The wording in Schefter's report was rather important. The last sentence stated, "Smith's preference, per sources, is to stay in Miami under a reworked deal." That's crucial because it underlines that Smith has apparently never requested a trade. And that means Miami is in danger of perpetuating its recent problem of parting with quality players who want to stay in town just so the team can save some money.
Last year, Smith signed a two-year deal worth $8.4 million and in his first season in Miami, broke the franchise's records for receptions (88), receiving yards (884), and touchdowns (8) by a tight end. His 52 receiving yards per game are the most any Miami tight end has ever averaged with the team by a long shot. Second down the list is Keith Jackson, who averaged 42.7 yards per game during his time in Miami more than 30 years ago.
Aside from gaudy statistics never seen in South Florida from a tight end, Smith provided leadership on a team that now has a void in that area. Players like Smith are ones you would like to keep home to retire with the team.
While trading Smith to save about $4 million would help the team's cap situation, the question is what a reworked deal could actually mean for both sides. Smith may simply want the security of another year added to a contract set to expire after the 2025 season.
Another year added to the deal could provide security for a player entering his ninth NFL season. The Dolphins have let numerous talented players find greener pastures elsewhere, but for a franchise making big changes on its roster, it's inefficient to not keep more building blocks than you let leave.
Additionally, a situation like Smith's could sound alarms for future free agents. Not rewarding a key player for a fantastic season is not prudent for the growth of a team hovering in mediocrity for the last five seasons.
Instead, Miami has rewarded a pair players, Jalen Ramsey and Tyreek Hill, with reworked contracts in the last year and received drama in return. Ramsey will no longer be with the Dolphins after requesting a trade, and Hill openly quit on his team on the last day of the 2024 NFL season, pulling himself out against the New York Jets.
There's a culture issue in Miami and that's partly because the team has struggled to identify which players to extend and which ones to let walk out the door.
Should Smith be dealt, it would leave the Dolphins with a very young and unproven tight end group. That room without Smith would be left with Julian Hill, Pharaoh Brown, Tanner Conner, Hayden Rucci, and Jalin Conyers. None have proven even close to a viable pass-catching threat on the level of Smith.
Smith brought production to the team that hadn't seen anything from the tight end position in years. Prior to Smith's first score with Miami, the last Dolphins tight end touchdown was from Mike Gesicki in the 2022 season.
Maybe there's a world where Miami nets a younger, cheaper player to absorb the loss. Pittsburgh is already loaded at tight end, so perhaps the Steelers would part with their massive 6'7 tight end Darnell Washington, a formidable blocker who joined the team as a 2023 third-round pick.
But if Smith just wants to finish his career in Miami, general manager Chris Grier would be wise to break the current habit of letting hard-working leaders go elsewhere as it would continue to set a negative precedent for future relationships. Smith wants to stay and surely is deserving of both an additional year and a bump in pay. That's the sort of practice that shows players that hard work will actually be rewarded.
The case for trading Jonnu Smith (via Adam Stites)
In an ideal world for an NFL team, they'd stack their roster with players over-performing their contract. That's what happened for Miami in 2024 when Smith put together record-breaking stats on a deal that counted only $2.1 million against the Dolphins' salary cap.
Alas, it never works out like that for long.
It's impossible to fault players for wanting to maximize their earnings during the relatively short career that is the life of an NFL player. After earning a Pro Bowl nod, it makes sense that Smith wants to be paid more than a few million dollars in 2025. He's currently the 32nd highest paid tight end in the NFL (by average salary per season) and way behind his statistical peers. There are nine tight ends playing on deals averaging at least $12 million per year and two getting $19 million.
But dishing out the kind of contract that a Pro Bowl-level tight end usually signs simply doesn't make sense for Miami.
The Dolphins have a serious deficiency in their secondary that has to be addressed before the 2025 season starts and they aren't exactly loaded with cap space to make those fixes. Dealing away Jalen Ramsey will clear a good chunk of space, but not so much that Miami will suddenly have the luxury to stop being thrifty.
The question the Dolphins have to ask themselves is whether Smith's 2024 output is worth making significant sacrifices elsewhere on the roster.
One of the worst decisions an NFL team can make is paying a player for what they've done in the past rather than what they expect that player to do in the future. Smith, who turns 30 in August, had never recorded more than 50 receptions or reached 600 yards in a season prior to 2024.
So what changed when Smith arrived in Miami? A dysfunctional offense without an effective running game turned to its 6'3 tight end to pick up short yardage.
Smith was targeted 28 times behind the line of scrimmage in 2024 (no other tight end in the NFL had 20) and 56 times within 10 yards. Of the 88 receptions he caught last season, only one was on a pass that traveled at least 20 yards downfield and that was a coverage bust.
During a high-flying 2023 season, the Dolphins ran the ball effectively and, in turn, were able to push the ball downfield. The goal for the team is to recreate that success. Guard James Daniels was Miami's most expensive addition in free agency and the Dolphins doubled up at the position by picking guard Jonah Savaiinaea in Round 2 of the 2025 NFL draft.
With more beef up front and another deep threat at wide receiver in Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, the Dolphins are hopeful they can get back to their prolific ways after finishing No. 22 in points scored last year.
Would it be helpful to also have a dynamic tight end with yards-after-catch ability like Smith at Tagovailoa's disposal? Of course. But only because Smith was set to count $4.6 million against the Dolphins' salary cap. Paying him more in 2025 and beyond would be committing money to reward production that was largely a result of the team's struggles.
Smith will probably never be more valuable than he is right this second. The Dolphins would benefit from cashing in that chip now and Smith would benefit from getting a new contract before he turns 30. As painful as it is to wave goodbye to a Pro Bowler, a trade is probably the best outcome for all parties.