Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers officially announced on Friday that Pro Bowl tight end Jonnu Smith will wear No. 81. Smith wore No. 81 in previous stops with the Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons before wearing No. 9 with the Miami Dolphins last season.
Elbie Nickel, Charles Johnson, Troy Edwards and Jesse James are some notable past Steelers players to have worn No. 81. Tight end MyCole Pruitt wore No. 81 with the Steelers last season.
Nu beginnings 😤 @Easymoney_81 pic.twitter.com/WXHFghurY9
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) July 11, 2025
Smith, 29, is coming off the best season of his eight-year NFL career. In 2024, he recorded a career-high 88 catches for 884 yards and eight touchdowns. Smith was also named to his first Pro Bowl last season.
The Steelers agreed to give him a one-year, $12 million extension as part of the trade. Smith was scheduled to make just $4.8 million this season.
“I’m blessed. I’m a Steeler,” Smith said on Terron Armstead’s podcast. “I’m playing for one of the most historic sports franchises in the history of sports. Under a great head coach with Mike [Tomlin]. Back with my guy Arthur Smith, who I’ve had a lot of success with in my career. And so I’m extremely blessed, bro. I couldn’t be more excited.”
Smith also revealed that he and Jalen Ramsey discussed landing with the Steelers prior to the blockbuster trade. Rumors were swirling in the last several weeks that the Miami Dolphins were looking to trade Ramsey and Smith.
“Me and [Jalen Ramsey] chopped it up before this happened,” Smith told Armstead. “We chopped it up before this happened. He obviously knew the situation that he was in in Miami and felt that it was time for him to move on. We chopped it up one-on-one about what potentially could be as rumors [were] floating around.”
The Steelers have made the playoffs in four of the last five years, but they have not won a playoff game in that span. Smith thinks he and Ramsey are the missing pieces to get the Steelers over the hump and make a run at a Super Bowl.
“We’re like, ‘Bro, if this thing really goes down, if this thing really happens, Pittsburgh is a team that’s historically going to be always be in the dance,’” Smith said. “It’s just maybe a couple missing pieces like us that can fill that void and get over that hump.”
Smith said he and Ramsey both shared a strong desire to play for Mike Tomlin.
“One thing that we both admired about the situation was the culture. The culture that Mike [Tomlin] established. I can’t wait to play for him,” Smith said.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Reveal Jonnu Smith’s Jersey Number
