Ramsey traded to Steelers team in 'win now-mode'
Dan Le Batard and Co. discuss the Dolphins trading Jalen Ramsey to the Steelers, evaluating Ramsey's tenure in Miami and what the seven-time Pro Bowler brings to Pittsburgh.
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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
AFC East news: Dolphins complete blockbuster trade with the Steelers
The Miami Dolphins will have a new-look defense in 2025 following a huge trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey was traded by the Dolphins alongside tight end Jonnu Smith to Pittsburgh. In exchange, the Steelers sent Miami safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Dolphins. Advertisement In addition, late-round draft picks were exchanged by the two teams. The full trade details can be found below: According to ESPN, the Steelers are taking on the bulk of Ramsey's contract for this season, with the Dolphins paying $3 million. For Miami, getting Ramsey's contract off the books is a big part of this deal. In addition, Fitzpatrick returns to the Dolphins, the team that selected him No. 11 overall at the 2011 NFL draft. The Dolphins finished in second place in the AFC East in 2024 with a record of 8-9. Miami failed to make the postseason. Jets Wire will continue to provide updates throughout the 2025 offseason. This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: AFC East news: Dolphins complete blockbuster trade with the Steelers
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Minkah Fitzpatrick for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith? Steelers aren't all in — but they are in win-now mode
As Aaron Rodgers reflected on his first week with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the quarterback who joined the club just in time for mandatory minicamp didn't only praise his offensive weapons. Rodgers praised veteran defensive lineman Cam Heyward as 'the OG of the team' whose leadership he 'loves watching.' And Rodgers praised the Steelers' 2024 offseason acquisition of linebacker Patrick Queen as 'a dog' to compete against. Advertisement In between the two, the four-time MVP gave more football-specific praise to one defender. 'Just talking to Minkah [Fitzpatrick], I mean what a high football IQ that guy has,' Rodgers said last week on "The Pat McAfee Show." 'It's been really interesting just to watch him practice and then to pick his brain in the locker room.' How quickly things change. The Steelers and Miami Dolphins agreed Monday morning to a trade that sends Fitzpatrick to Miami in exchange for cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith. The Steelers also dealt their 2027 fifth-round pick in exchange for the Dolphins' 2027 fifth, with Miami covering $3 million of Ramsey's $26.6 million salary in 2025, ESPN reported. Advertisement The trade surprised the league for multiple reasons, perhaps chief of which is yet another move in an unusually active offseason for the Steelers. A club that has long preached patience, and building a roster through draft-and-develop tactics, has abandoned that approach this spring. At receiver, Pittsburgh has acquired DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks and dealt George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys. At defensive back, they've now moved Fitzpatrick and acquired Ramsey. And at quarterback, of course, their lengthy pursuit of Rodgers paid off when he officially signed in June. Smith will bolster their tight end group. Some were quick to wonder whether the Steelers are 'all in' with their acquisitions of Rodgers, Metcalf, Ramsey and Smith. But league coaches and executives view Pittsburgh's message differently. Advertisement With players not just in but also out, and space in their salary cap and cash spend, multiple sources characterized the Steelers approach less as an 'all-in' look and more as a 'win-now' mode. This aligns with Rodgers' announcement last week that he's 'pretty sure' 2025 will be his last season in the NFL. So as Pittsburgh eyes its high ceiling (albeit low floor) at quarterback with the four-time MVP they signed for 2025, they're structuring their roster moves accordingly. They're considering their recent regular-season success and subsequent playoff struggles, and responding by turning what could be considered a 'lukewarm' trade out of context into a justifiable risk, one high-ranking AFC executive said. Advertisement 'They paid a premium for talent upgrades at spots they deemed impactful because it is worth more to them in their current roster state with an aging core trying to get over the wild-card hump than it would be if they were a 13-win team or a five-win team,' the executive told Yahoo Sports. 'They are taking on financial risk, age risk and cultural risk, but you can understand it. 'You can at least understand the logic.' What are Steelers gaining, losing with this trade? Trading away Fitzpatrick should not be understated. The 2018 first-round pick earned three All-Pro nods and five Pro Bowl berths in six seasons with the Steelers. Coaches and executives around the league view him as a top-tier safety whose production has easily validated his cost. On and off the field, he has elevated players around him. Advertisement 'Minkah is an elite safety,' one offensive assistant who has faced both Fitzpatrick and Ramsey in the last two years told Yahoo Sports. 'Elite instincts and ball skills.' Multiple sources noted their belief that Fitzpatrick, at 28 years old, has more high-level football left than the 30-year-old Ramsey. They appreciated Fitzpatrick's lower salary cap, though one source wondered how soon the Dolphins would extend Fitzpatrick, who is due $15.5 million this year compared to Ramsey's $26.6M. Fitzpatrick's locker room presence has been steadier than that of Ramsey — who has been traded from the Jacksonville Jaguars to the Los Angeles Rams to the Miami Dolphins to the Steelers. Did the Steelers need the Smith bump to justify the defensive shift? Sources were split on the 2025 returns, but one AFC defensive assistant said they'd prefer Ramsey over Fitzpatrick on their 2025 roster. Advertisement 'Both guys are at the end of their prime,' the assistant told Yahoo Sports. '[But cornerback] is a premium position. More value on third down, red area and two minute [drills because of] man matchups. 'Ramsey is now on a better team with a Hall of Fame head coach.' The Steelers can likely use Ramsey in a versatile role, shifting him between responsibilities typical of an outside cornerback, inside cornerback, safety and nickel. Jalen Ramsey (right) has proven to be a playmaking cornerback with strong ball skills, and he could be a valuable addition for the Steelers. (Photo by) (Kevin Sabitus via Getty Images) The offensive assistant who coached against Ramsey lauded him as a dynamic player with elite instincts and ball skills, while questioning his speed at age 30. 'I think he'll struggle with elite WRs who can run,' the assistant said. '[Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr] Chase will eat him up.' Advertisement Smith's value at tight end may be less analyzed than the defensive swap, but will nonetheless boost Pittsburgh as he reunites with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who coached Jonnu Smith with the Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons. Arthur Smith knows his tight end's skill set well — and can also study film from 2024, when Jonnu Smith set career highs with 88 receptions and 884 receiving yards. He tied a career high with eight touchdowns. One NFC executive credited the Steelers with getting Smith thrown into the package. 'He was productive,' the executive said, 'and [Pittsburgh] had the leverage.' Why Steelers' trade return dictates a two-part lens Perhaps it's worth viewing the Steelers' future in two separate buckets. Advertisement Ask questions specifically about the competence and competitiveness of the 2025 Steelers — and then consider separately what the franchise will look like in 2026 and beyond. Pittsburgh and Tomlin seem comfortable with that dichotomy. There's no reason to believe they can't be competitive in 2026, and doubting a head coach whose 18 years includes no losing seasons seems silly. But there's reason to believe that 2026 and beyond aren't the Steelers' primary strategic goals right now. Tomlin and the Steelers' last Super Bowl title followed the 2008 season, their last Super Bowl appearance after 2010. The franchise has advanced to the playoffs nine times since then. They have not won a playoff game their last five postseason berths. Advertisement 'They've been good for many, many years,' said one NFC executive with a Super Bowl on their résumé. 'At some point, you gotta take a swing. 'You owe it to the fans.' Pittsburgh seems to be taking that swing, while falling far short of the Los Angeles Rams' 'f*** them picks' mantra. The Steelers have not fully mortgaged their future to bolster their present. They've tilted their moves toward 2025 success while limiting the draft capital and salary cap sacrifices in future seasons. Now, the Great Rodgers Experiment continues, without the defender whose brain he most enjoyed picking during minicamp but with another top-tier defender whose brain perhaps the quarterback can begin to pick. Advertisement The experiment continues with a productive tight end to complement existing strength Pat Freiermuth, and the experiment continues with all sorts of swings that Tomlin and the Steelers are taking in ways that Tomlin and the Steelers so rarely take. Will it work? Either way, the Steelers should have options in the months and years to come . 'The trade feels more short-term [rather than] going 'all in,' an NFC executive said. 'I'm not seeing it as the only levers they can pull.'
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘I Haven't Heard That' Says NFL Insider of Steelers' T.J. Watt Rumor
'I Haven't Heard That' Says NFL Insider of Steelers' T.J. Watt Rumor originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Most of us can agree that somehow, some way, the Pittsburgh Steelers will soon make edge rusher T.J. Watt one of the highest-paid defenders in the NFL - again. Advertisement How much will Watt get? What about years and guarantees? What about where he will end up ranking amid the highest-paid guys in the game... and in the history of the game? Thats where we don't all agree. Bleacher Report's James Palmer is reporting that the Watt number could be at the very all-time top, up and over the Cleveland Browns' recent deal with Myles Garrett. Color us skeptical... but let's hear out Palmer... 'I'm hearing there's a chance Watt gets past $40 (million APY), which is something we're really keeping an eye on, right? That if he gets that $40 million per year at the age that he is at. ' Palmer said on his NFL Insider Notebook. 'He has every right to ask for it. I've talked on here a lot about the comparisons between him and Myles Garrett. The numbers are almost identical in every aspect in terms of superlatives and in terms of numbers, and they came in the same draft class. Advertisement 'He has the right to try to get that. We'll see.' Whoa. Our response? With all due respect to the plugged-in Palmer, this take sounds like it comes from someone who just got off the phone with T.J. and his agent. It kinda comes out of the blue. Watt is presently entering the final season of his $112 million extension signed just ahead of the 2021 NFL year. At the time, the deal made Watt the highest-paid NFL defender. On that extension, the edge rusher has received an average annual salary of $28 million. But other defenders have blown past that historic deal over the past four years. Garrett signed a four-year, $160 million extension with the Browns this offseason. Advertisement Meshing with our take is 'Rap Sheet's' similar response to Palmer's report. During his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Friday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network was asked about the $40 million rumor. 'I still believe it's gonna work out. But I hadn't heard that number,' Rapoport said. 'And I hadn't heard that anything is imminent.' Rapoport is being polite here. 'I hadn't heard that number' is a nice way of saying… 'That's not the number.' So we will stick with 'out of the blue' view while hoping that Watt and the Steelers forge a deal in time for training camp. Related: Bills Trade For T.J. Watt Rumor Includes 2 Massive Details This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
