The Pittsburgh Steelers stunned the NFL last month when they pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins from seemingly out of nowhere. The Steelers landed Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith from the Dolphins, while sending Minkah Fitzpatrick to the team that selected him with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
While the addition of a former All-Pro cornerback in Ramsey undoubtedly shores up Pittsburgh’s secondary, the veteran tight end Smith could help unlock the Steelers’ offense, especially after they traded George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys. In 2024, Smith earned his first career Pro Bowl selection after catching 88 passes for 884 yards and eight touchdowns.
After enjoying the best season of his career, Smith is now going to be tasked with transitioning to a new-look offense that features Aaron Rodgers under center and DK Metcalf at wide receiver. And according to the man himself, it sounds like Smith is thrilled to have landed with Pittsburgh as part of this trade.
“I’m in the best possible situation, you know, that any football junkie would want to be,” Smith said on the “Zach Smacks Show.” You know what I mean? I’m in with a winning organization, Hall of Fame quarterback, Hall of Fame coach with Mike T. You know, all types of ballers on both sides of the ball.”
The pieces are in place for the Steelers to be very successful in 2025, especially if Smith produces like he did for the Dolphins in 2024. Considering the state of some of the other teams in the NFL, Smith is happy to have landed with a team that figures to be in the playoff hunt in the AFC.
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How Smith will be utilized alongside fellow tight end Pat Freiermuth remains to be seen, but the upside of Pittsburgh’s offense has increased dramatically with his arrival. And if all goes according to plan, Pittsburgh will be making a deep run come playoff time this upcoming season.
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