The Latest on the Jonnu Smith Situation

There's been a whole lot of uproar since word leaked last week that the Miami Dolphins had discussions with the Pittsburgh Steelers about a trade involving Pro Bowl tight end Jonnu Smith, but that's seemingly all it was. Discussions.

The idea of a trade between the teams first was reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter, who is now reporting the Steelers are not expected to trade for Smith.

This doesn't mean it's impossible the Dolphins still will end up trading Smith, though now it apparently won't be to Pittsburgh. And it's also entirely possible, if not likely, that Smith still will be on the Miami roster when the team kicks off its 2025 schedule against the Indianapolis Colts on September 7.

The reason the Dolphins would even entertain the idea of trading Smith was and remains his desire for a new contract, and let's just say this wouldn't be the first time a team explored the idea of a trade when negotiations proved to be difficult. And it also wouldn't be the first time an agent would leak trade discussions in order to put public pressure on the team.

And the Dolphins certainly have faced some public backlash at the mere idea of trading Smith, the team's lone Pro Bowl representative last season, understanding that they wouldn't base their decision on public sentiment.

DREW ROSENHAUS' REMARKS

This latest report comes two days after Smith's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, addressed his client's situation during his regular appearance on South Florida TV station WSVN's weekly Sunday night sports show.

"Here's what I will say on behalf of my client: Jonnu would definitely like to stay in Miami," Rosenhaus said, per The Miami Herald. "That's his first choice. This is where he lives in the offseason. He had a record-breaking season last year. It was the best season ever for a Miami Dolphins tight end. He broke the team record for receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns for a tight end and was the team’s single Pro Bowl player. He’s an incredibly valuable part of this team.

"He went to college at FIU. His dream team is the Dolphins. Hopefully, everything works out where he can stay in Miami.”

In terms of P.R., it was the perfect statement by Rosenhaus, who clearly presented the argument as to why the Dolphins should not trade Smith, one year after they signed him to a two-year contract.

THE QUESTIONS LEFT UNANSWERED

What Rosenhaus said certainly put public pressure on the Dolphins in the eyes of fans, who are staring at the possibility of another high-profile player leaving, and it was partly because of what he didn't say and the questions left unanswered.

And while head coach Mike McDaniel certainly will be asked before the Dolphins have their second open OTA of the offseason Tuesday, it's entirely possible that he will decline to discuss the Smith situation. And GM Chris Grier isn't scheduled to speak to the media until the time of final cuts to the 53-man roster.

That means there will be no official comment on what kind of new contract Smith (through Rosenhaus) is seeking, what the Dolphins are willing to do in terms of replacing or upgrading the current deal, whether Rosenhaus requested a trade, and whether the Dolphins granted Rosenhaus permission to negotiate with other teams to try to facilitate a trade (at the same time giving the Dolphins a good idea of Smith's market value).

Rosenhaus also didn't address the hypothetical of the Dolphins not giving Smith the contract he wants but not trading him, which could create an impasse, considering Smith is under contract for 2025. Holdouts no longer are an effective method for disgruntled players because of the hefty fines that come with them, but would Smith "hold in," attend training camp, but sit out team periods, or fake an injury?

The bottom line is Rosenhaus did a great job of painting the situation as something very simple when the reality is it's far from simple.

SMITH AND HIS CONTRACT

That Smith would want a new deal certainly isn't surprising, considering he's scheduled to make about $4 million in 2025 in the second year of a two-year deal that was, to put it mildly, very team-friendly.

Let's also remember that Smith wasn't an unrestricted free agent when he signed with the Dolphins in the 2024 offseason, but rather had been released earlier by the Atlanta Falcons. Because of that, the Dolphins got Smith on the cheap, and he then outperformed his contract.

It's not rocket science — or football science — to realize that Smith is massively underpaid at $4 million, given he made the Pro Bowl (albeit as an alternate) last season and put up the numbers he did.

The question, though, is exactly what is Smith's true value, and we're going to suggest it's somewhere between what the Dolphins would be willing to pay and what Smith would be willing to accept.

Hence the impasse.

While fans are quick to jump on the Dolphins and complain that they should pay up to make sure another high-profile player doesn't leave, it's not like they should be obligated to give Smith whatever he wants.

For one thing, Smith is turning 30 in August, he's a receiving specialist at a position where the Dolphins would like complete players, and perhaps most importantly of all, he probably ranks down the list in terms of impact players on offense — his 2024 numbers notwithstanding.

Another important question is whether the Dolphins made any promises when they signed Smith in 2024 to revisit his contract if he outperformed his salary.

If they didn't, the Dolphins technically don't have to do anything because he's under contract for another year. If they did, then obviously it's a different story.

Another issue is that the Dolphins have other players deserving of extensions and/or raises, with Zach Sieler and Jordyn Brooks the first two who come to mind.

And then there's the issue of the Dolphins maybe being wary of handing out new contracts to players under team control after what happened with Hill and Ramsey.

HOW BIG OF A LOSS WOULD SMITH BE?

Another part of the issue here is what happens to the offense, if anything, should the Dolphins make a move with Smith.

On one hand, he's the best receiving tight end on the roster at this time, and there's not a close second.

But what will his number of targets look like in 2025 with new wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine added as a complement to Hill and Jaylen Waddle, not to mention the hope that Hill and Waddle will stay injury-free after difficult 2024 seasons?

The bottom line is the question of how valuable Smith is to the offense.

We also should not forget that a trade rumor doesn't mean it's automatically going to happen.

But just the idea of it was enough to cause a stir, maybe a stir the Dolphins didn't need right now.

SMITH'S STRONG FIRST SEASON WITH THE DOLPHINS

Smith's production as a receiver last season was critical, given the statistical drop of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

Tight ends coach Jon Embree said last week the Dolphins could get more from Smith, both from a blocking standpoint and because he left yards on the field.

Smith finished with 88 catches for 884 yards last season, easily topping his previous career highs of 50 receptions and 582 yards, both accomplished with the Atlanta Falcons in 2023. After a slow start last year, Smith's production took off, starting with the game against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 7.

He had two 100-yard games — against the Las Vegas Raiders and Green Bay Packers — and was the key player in overtime in the 32-26 victory against the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium in December with all three of his catches for 44 yards, including the game-winning touchdown.

Moving Smith would leave the Dolphins without a proven pass-catching tight end, though we should remind everyone that the Raiders were looking to move former second-round pick Michael Mayer earlier in the offseason. Perhaps the Dolphins could ask for him if the Raiders wanted to trade for the disgruntled cornerback Jalen Ramsey, and the two teams could work out the financial details.

The Dolphins' tight end group includes Julian Hill, free agent acquisition Pharaoh Brown, Tanner Conner, Hayden Rucci, and rookie free agent Jalin Conyers.

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