How Valuable is Jonnu Smith to Dolphins?

The Miami Dolphins and Jonnu Smith might be heading toward a breakup this offseason. 

Last week, it was reported that the team had spoken with the Pittsburgh Steelers about a potential trade for the Pro Bowl tight end. Smith wants a new contract after posting career-best numbers in 2024, but the Dolphins have been careful about spending money this offseason. 

However, reports indicate Smith would rather stay in Miami on a new deal, and the team would be much better with him on it. Let’s look at Smith’s role in the offense and the tight end market to see what contract number would make sense for the Dolphins.

Smith’s Role in The Offense 

Smith set the franchise record for catches and yards from a tight end, putting up 88 catches for 884 yards. He also had eight touchdowns and was the team’s primary pass target in several wins. 

He’s an ideal fit for this version of the Dolphins offense because the team uses so many formations with two tight ends. Miami ranked 10th in the NFL in combined 22 (two backs, two tight ends) and 12 (one back, two tight ends) personnel usage. 

Typically, in that offensive structure, there’s one receiving tight end and one blocking tight end. Smith was the receiver while players like Julian Hill and Durham Smythe were the blockers. 

Last season, Smith had 254 snaps in the slot and just 198 in-line, according to Pro Football Focus. For comparison, Hill had 362 in-line snaps last season.

Not every offense can support a player with Smith’s blocking limitations, but the Dolphins absolutely can. The other part of the picture is how Miami maximizes Smith’s strengths. 

Last season, the Dolphins struggled to push the ball downfield in the passing game. Defenses played a lot of deep zones, attempting to keep speed threats like Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in front of them. 

This opened up a lot of underneath targets for players from the slot, like Smith. Of his catches last season, 26.1 percent came with air yards behind the line of scrimmage. However, Smith averaged 9.8 yards after the catch on those receptions. 

Smith ate up a lot of easy yards on manufactured touches and short routes last season. He made a few plays downfield, but that was largely the reason he was so productive last season. 

It should also be mentioned that Smith’s role will not be filled by Hill or free agent acquisition Pharaoh Brown. Although listed at tight end, Smith’s role is so much different than Brown and Hill’s that they basically play different positions. 

Whether Smith is on the team in 2025, Hill and Brown would see the field plenty. 

Calculating Smith’s Value 

Finding a contract number that makes sense for Smith and the Dolphins is quite challenging for several reasons. 

For starters, Smith is grossly underpaid on the contract he signed last offseason. Smith’s $4.2 million average annual value ranks 32nd among tight ends, according to Over The Cap. Smith is clearly better than the 32nd-best tight end in the league, so his wanting a raise makes sense. 

However, when looking at this from the Dolphins’ perspective, it’s not hard to see why they would explore a trade. Smith isn’t a tight end — he’s a slot receiver who benefited mightily from teams largely ignoring him last season. 

Smith’s targets are easy to pass off to players like De’Von Achane, Malik Washington, Jaylen Waddle, and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. Plus, Westbrook-Ikhine is a better blocker from the slot than Smith, so you could argue that would be an improvement. 

Additionally, Smith will turn 30 in August. The Dolphins have spent the entire offseason getting younger and seem to be undergoing a soft rebuild this season. Giving an older, niche-role player a multi-year extension doesn’t make sense for this version of the team. 

With that said, the Dolphins have the money to give Smith a raise for the 2025 season. If Miami could find a way to push Smith’s value to $8.5 AAV, that would tie him for 16th with former Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki. 

Like Smith, Gesicki is a 30-year-old slot receiver masquerading as a tight end. 

While something like that might work for Miami, it’s hard to imagine Smith being content with that outcome, especially if it’s not a multi-year extension. 

Smith likely views himself as one of the most productive tight ends in the sport, and given his age, this is one of his last chances to cash in. Players like Juwan Johnson, Dawson Knox, and Noah Fant are making between $9.8 million and $10.5 million per year. 

Smith has a fair argument that he’s better than those players, even with his limitations. He’s probably somewhere between the 10th and 12th best tight end in the league based on last season. Evan Engram is 10th in tight end AAV, making $11.5 million on his new contract with the Denver Broncos. 

Perhaps Smith would get that much on the open market, but he’s not hitting the open market until next offseason, and the Dolphins aren’t in a position to pay that much for him. 

Final Word on Trading Smith 

Moving on from Smith is a tough pill to swallow. His role and targets are easily replaceable, especially for a team with so many playmakers, but Smith is the prototype for that role.

Plus, it seems like Smith is a well-liked presence in the locker room. Frankly, the optics of trading away Smith are worse than the on-field effects. 

Whether it’s Jalen Ramsey wanting out, Hill’s latest off-field drama, or the team losing leaders like Terron Armstead and Calais Campbell, the optics around how the Dolphins are managing their players are pretty bad right now. 

Smith was one of the few success stories from last season, and now public trade rumors are swirling around one of the team’s better players. 

While all of that is true, trading Smith is better than giving him a huge pay increase for 2025 or signing him to a long-term deal. He’s a good fit for this version of the offense, but any Shanahan-inspired offense would much prefer a more balanced tight end. 

Getting a draft pick for a 30-year-old tight end who likely isn’t a part of your long-term plans anyway is good business. The Dolphins would be getting out a year early rather than a year late. 

While losing a fringe top-10 player at the position is hardly the optimal outcome for this year’s team, it makes sense for the big picture.

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