When I first heard the other day that the Miami Dolphins were in discussions with the Pittsburgh Steelers for a trade involving Pro Bowl Tight End Jonnu Smith, I thought, ‘What are the Dolphins thinking?’ I have thought about it over the last few days, and it’s not a bad idea to consider if you get the right deal.
Smith is coming off a career and franchise year with 88 catches, over 800 yards receiving, and eight touchdowns, so why would the Dolphins consider this?
First he is about to turn 30 years old and given how the Dolphins have burned themselves with recent contract extensions with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Ramsey perhaps they don’t want to do this again after they are going to trade Ramsey and Hill is on borrowed time since the team can get out of his contract next year with all of his drama.
The Dolphins are also starting a rebuilding situation because they used a lot of their draft capital to rebuild the trenches of the offense and particularly the defensive line, so on the surface, it looks like general manager Chris Grier is calling his 2019 a failure, and the team needs to start rebuilding. It started this year and will most likely continue next year as well, when they release Hill, and I’m sure more will follow as the team adds draft picks next year.
Additionally, as noted in an article by our own Jose Esquer, Smith only played in 55% of the offensive plays last year and isn’t considered an elite tight end. Plus, he is only a pass catcher and not a run blocker.
I understand that Smith wants a new deal because it will likely be his last chance to secure a big contract, as he is entering his 30s. A player should try to get as much money as he can, as football is a short career.
The thing is, Smith, before last year, had never caught more than 50 passes in a season or surpassed 600 yards receiving, so how much is he expecting to get? The Dolphins, I’m sure, have a price in mind and don’t want to go crazy on a player having just one great year. Additionally, Smith is on his fourth NFL team, so he has been around. If he is considered one of the better tight ends, I don’t think the Dolphins would have signed him to a two-year contract a year ago. The other thing is a lot of Smith’s passes came from behind the line of scrimmage on screen passes so of course his catches were up.
What could the Dolphins get for Smith? Honestly, probably not much. I wondered why the Steelers would be interested, considering they are deep at that position, but if they offered 3rd year tight end Darnell Washington, I might be tempted because he is a big, physical tight end, and I know the Dolphins have enough of those, but maybe he could develop into a receiver. Plus, he’s on a rookie contract for the next two years, and the Dolphins don’t have any tight ends under contract beyond this year.
I think the Dolphins should keep Smith, but they should consider their options, especially if they aren’t going to redo his contract and it expires after this year. The Dolphins are obviously starting a rebuild, even if Grier won’t admit it, so consider getting something in return for Smith or letting him play out his deal.
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The Dallas Cowboys extended one of their stars Sunday, just not the one fans wanted them to pay. At Cowboys training camp Saturday, Dallas fans serenaded owner Jerry Jones with "Pay Micah [Parsons]" chants. The EDGE, of course, is set to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract this season. Jones must not have been listening. He gave tight end Jake Ferguson a new contract instead. Dallas and the 26-year-old pass-catcher agreed to a four-year, $52M contract extension, via NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. This move seems head-scratching. Parsons has won the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year and earned two first-team All-Pro nods since the Cowboys took him with pick No. 12 in the 2021 NFL Draft. The 26-year-old EDGE also finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Ferguson, meanwhile, is solid but not elite. In three seasons with the Cowboys, the 2022 fourth-round pick has made one Pro Bowl and has never finished with more than 761 receiving yards in a season. An extension for Parsons will devour future cap space. The Cowboys may be worried about that after giving quarterback Dak Prescott (four years, $240M) and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (four years, $136M) long-term deals in 2024. Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt signed a lucrative three-year, $123M extension on July 17, making him the league's highest-paid non-QB. Parsons could command a similar contract. If cap space is Dallas' primary concern, however, why would it extend Ferguson? He's now set to be the NFL's seventh-highest-paid TE. The Cowboys waited to extend Lamb and Prescott just before the start of the 2024 season. They may be doing the same with Parsons. The star defender has said, "Ownership is always gonna make [contract negotiations] drag out." Regardless, the Cowboys should've paid Parsons before Ferguson. That's a much bigger priority for the team.
The Toronto Blue Jays have the best record in Major League Baseball. Depth contributions throughout the lineup and on the pitching staff are a major factor in their success, but what might be even more important is the heater shortstop Bo Bichette is on. Like most of the rest of the team, after a slow start, Bichette has found his groove, and he put it all on display as Toronto (63-43) won three of four at AL Central-leading Detroit from Thursday-Sunday. Already with two RBI on Thursday and Friday, Bichette added two RBI in Saturday's 6-1 win that included this unreal 13-pitch at-bat against Tarik Skubal. Not many are taking arguably the best pitcher in baseball 13 pitches deep and forcing a walk. In Toronto's 10-4 loss Sunday, Bichette went 5-for-5 with two more RBI. Per StatMuse, it was his fourth five-hit game in the big leagues. Bichette entered the four-game series with a .281 average and now heads to Baltimore with a .289 average. That's superstar stuff from the 27-year-old two-time All-Star. Through 103 games, Bichette has 13 HRs and 65 RBI, putting him on pace for a 20-HR, 99-RBI season. He has driven in 100 runs only once during his seven-year MLB career. Bichette is doing himself wonders in a contract year, especially after a down, injury-plagued 2024 season. Toronto's chance to extend him at a discounted rate is long gone, and it feels like a formality that Bichette will at least test the market this winter. We've seen megadeals handed out to some of the league's best shortstops in recent years, including the Mets' Francisco Lindor, Texas' Corey Seager, Philadelphia's Trea Turner and Minnesota's Carlos Correa. Combine that with the increasing contract values around baseball, and Bichette is set to receive a massive payday. For now, Bichette's focus is on helping the Blue Jays win and make a postseason run that includes Toronto's first World Series title since 1993.
With the trade for Ryan McMahon now complete, it would seem New York Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman has fulfilled one of his three priorities. He can now cross third base off the list, which leaves the rotation and bullpen as his remaining priorities. However, according to one Yankees writer, Cashman might not be done with the infield. Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reported this after the McMahon trade: “The Yankees may not be done adding to their infield. A team source said the Yankees are interested in adding a right-handed hitter who could play the infield.” Kirschner adds that the Yankees have had interest in Willi Castro and Amed Rosario. But the question now is, how would another player fit into the Yankees’ infield? Needless to say, Paul Goldschmidt and Jazz Chisholm Jr. aren’t going anywhere, and McMahon is just getting there. That leaves the low-hanging fruit. Anthony Volpe has been at the center of controversy all this season. His 13 errors, many of which had come at make-or-break moments, amount to the second-highest total in the game. In addition, his bat has not been able to compensate, hitting .217/.288/.408 with 14 home runs. There was always a lot to like about Volpe. He won a Gold Glove in his rookie year, his power has always been promising and his speed is nothing to scoff at. Unfortunately, his glove has become a liability, and his speed has also produced very few results. Volpe has swiped just 10 bags in 17 attempts. His power is the one thing that still has some upside, but it hasn’t been enough to justify a spot in the lineup. Both Castro and Rosario have been far more productive at the plate this season than Volpe. Kirschner doesn’t clarify how serious the Yankees are in their pursuit of another infielder, but that most likely isn’t available information. Having just turned 24, Volpe could still become the type of player that was expected from him as a top prospect. However, his recent performance has weighed heavily on his team’s efforts, and it may be buying him a ticket out of the Bronx — or at least a spot on the bench.
Several NFL players signed lucrative contract extensions in the offseason, but not all of them will carry their good fortune to fantasy football. Here are four who will. WR Ja’Marr Chase | Four years, $161M Cincinnati’s 25-year-old receiver finished 2024 with career-highs in yards (1,708) and touchdowns (17) and set the bar financially by becoming the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history this offseason. He’s since been eclipsed by Steelers T.J. Watt, who recently signed a three-year, $123M contract extension. Watt gets the win, but as a linebacker, he’s essentially a non-factor in fantasy football. Chase was anything but with 403.0 fantasy points last season, more than any wide receiver and second-most of any player, regardless of position. Expect him to be taken first overall in the majority of drafts. RB Derrick Henry | Two years, $30M Henry was scheduled to make $8M in 2025 before signing his new contract, but remains a bargain even at $15M per season. Last year, the 31-year-old running back averaged a career-high 5.9 yards per carry for 1,921 yards and tied Buffalo’s James Cook and Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs for the league lead with 16 rushing scores. His yardage total was the second-most of his career and second only to Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley, who finished second to Gibbs (362.9) in fantasy points (355.3) by running for a near-record 2,005 yards in 2024. Henry’s limited usage in the passing game will always impact his fantasy numbers, but his 336.4 points were the fourth-most among running backs last season. With almost no competition for carries beyond quarterback Lamar Jackson, fantasy managers should look to stack the pair in 2025. WR Tee Higgins | Four years, $115M No wonder the Bengals haven’t paid Trey Hendrickson. While the All-Pro defensive end looks for a contract extension of his own, Cincinnati will look for its other high-paid receiver to challenge Chase for the team lead in yardage, something he did in 2020 before Chase arrived. Higgins missed five games with quad and hamstring injuries in 2024, but still managed 911 yards and a career-high ten touchdowns, good for 222.1 fantasy points as part of the NFL’s sixth-highest scoring offense. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow may not lead the league with 4,918 yards like he did last season, but as long as he’s on the field, Higgins should be no worse than a top-15 receiver this year. QB Brock Purdy | Five years, $265M Purdy’s contract makes him the highest-paid 49er in franchise history, a distinction he’ll try to live up to in 2025. Surrounded by one of the NFL’s most talented rosters since joining the team as the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, many still see the 25-year-old as a system quarterback. This year, he’ll get a chance to prove otherwise with wide receiver Deebo Samuel now in Washington and Brandon Aiyuk on the PUP list. Many expected wide receiver Jauan Jennings, who would also like a new contract, to hold out of training camp, but that hasn’t been the case so far as Jennings has been a full participant. Fortunately for Purdy, San Francisco will play the league’s easiest schedule in 2025, facing opponents that hold a .415 win percentage from 2024. Add a healthy Christian McCaffrey to the backfield, and the Niners offense should be much better in 2025 with Purdy likely to challenge the numbers that ranked him sixth in fantasy points (306.6) in 2023.
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