Former Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith needs a new home for 2026, which would mark his fifth team in five years.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay suggests the New York Giants could sign Smith, and Kay calls it one of his “underrated” free agent matches among remaining free agents. Smith had a successful 2024 season for the Dolphins with 88 receptions for 884 yards and eight touchdowns, but his production declined in 2025 with the Pittsburgh Steelers as he caught 38 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns.
“Although Smith is coming off a down year with the plodding Pittsburgh Steelers, he is a strong candidate to rejuvenate his career in the Big Apple,” Kay wrote. “At worst, Smith will be a chain mover, scoring threat and safety valve who Harbaugh can deploy in a variety of multi-tight end formations.”
Kay noted that Smith “has the potential to be the most-dangerous pass-catcher” for the Giants. Smith was a “focal point in the Miami Dolphins’ offense” in 2024 when he made the Pro Bowl, Kay wrote.
While Smith has bounced around, he has enjoyed success in other places besides Miami. He had 50 catches for 582 yards and three touchdowns with the Atlanta Falcons in 2023, and Smith tallied 41 catches for 448 yards and eight touchdowns in 2020 with the Tennessee Titans.
Smith has played for the Titans, New England Patriots, Falcons, Dolphins and Steelers over the course of his nine-year NFL career.
Jonnu Smith Had a Career Year With Dolphins
After signing a two-year, $10 million deal with the Dolphins in 2024, Smith had the best season of his career.
Smith had career highs in every major pass-catching category and helped the Dolphins go 8-9. He had two-touchdown performance in a Week 11 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, and Smith had 10 receptions for 113 yards in a Thanksgiving Day loss against the Green Bay Packers.
Miami didn’t keep Smith around despite his success, as the team included him with safety Jalen Ramsey in a trade to the Steelers last year. The Dolphins also gave up a seventh-round pick in that trade for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Grading Dolphins Trade a Year Later
The Dolphins initially received good grades on the trade last year that sent Smith and Ramsey to the Steelers for Fitzpatrick. Here’s a breakdown of the trade results thus far, a year later.
Smith’s production dropped in Pittsburgh, and the Steelers released him in March. The Steelers clearly lost on that acquisition.
Ramsey tallied 53 tackles, three sacks and an interception for the Steelers, and he remains with the team. He had similar numbers in 2025 to his final year with the Dolphins in 2024, when he had 39 tackles, a sack and two interceptions.
As for the Dolphins with Fitzpatrick, he also matched similar numbers to his last year in Pittsburgh. Fitzpatrick had 64 tackles, a sack and an interception in 2025 with the Dolphins, and he had 62 tackles with an interception in 2024 with the Steelers.
Because Fitzpatrick is slightly younger, the Dolphins have a slight edge on swapping safeties since Fitzpatrick can likely offer more longevity. The jury remains out on the seventh-round pick since it’s for the 2027 draft.
Miami deserves a B grade at the moment since Fitzpatrick and Ramsey at least played to similar levels statistically, and letting go of Smith didn’t cost too much overall.
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