The offseason is finally almost over for the Pittsburgh Steelers, as they will begin the 2025 campaign with a matchup against the New York Jets. There are a lot of new faces in town for the Steelers, with one of them being Pro Bowl tight end Jonnu Smith, who was picked up in a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins.
Smith finally put all the pieces of the puzzle together in his lone season with the Dolphins, as he caught 88 passes for 884 yards and eight touchdowns, all figures which were career-highs. By bringing him to town, Pittsburgh is hoping that Smith will become a key contributor for star quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the passing game.
This isn’t the first time Smith has started the year with a new team, but there’s a different feel to the 2025 campaign considering all the moves the Steelers just made. Add in the fact that Smith is fresh off the best season of his career, and the star tight end compared the start of the new campaign to Christmas.
“I’m excited,” Smith said, per Teresa Varley of the team’s official website. “It’s Week 1. I think the whole NFL, we all have the same feeling right now across the league, all 32 teams.”
“There’s a lot of turnover year-to-year with a lot of teams, so you always want to establish your identity early on. Allow all the work that’s been put in during the offseason to come to fruition. So, we’ll be looking forward to that moment, for that opportunity. There’s nothing like this time of year. It’s like Christmas for us.”
Story continues below advertisement
It may take a while for Pittsburgh to get everybody on the same page, but there’s no doubt that the talent level on this team has increased drastically from the 2024 campaign. Smith is chomping at the bit to get back on the field, and he will be looking to put up some big numbers in his debut with the Steelers on Sunday afternoon.
More NFL: Steelers’ Cam Heyward Misses Practice Amid Contract Saga Before Season-Opener
Featured image via Barry Reeger/Imagn Images