NFL Trade Rumors
Jonnu Smith is a free agent, and this time he can’t rejoin Arthur Smith. A former third-round pick by the Titans out of Florida International in 2017, he spent a productive four seasons in Tennessee before joining the Patriots for two years. Since then, he’s played for the Falcons, Dolphins, and Steelers, with his 2024 season in Miami being the best of his career with 88 receptions for 884 yards and eight touchdowns.
Smith is a bigger body at the tight end position, someone who is comfortable playing in-line on the line of scrimmage. He’s more of a receiving weapon than a blocking tight end, though, with good after-the-catch production and the flexibility to line up all over the formation. Teams that want to sign Smith will be looking to add his prowess as a receiver, not bolster their run game.
Smith is coming off the worst season of his career since his early days with the Titans. His time in Pittsburgh didn’t go well, partially because of the crowded tight end depth chart there and also because of the (at times) anemic Steelers offense. Smith is getting older, though, and his best days may now be behind him.
In terms of his contract, he’s almost certainly looking at a one-year deal, probably in the $5 million range.
Smith, 30, is a former third-round pick of the Titans back in 2017. He played out the final year of his four-year, $3.175 million contract when he agreed to a four–year, $50 million deal that included $31.25 million fully guaranteed with the Patriots.
The Patriots then traded Smith to the Falcons in exchange for a 2023 seventh-round pick back in March of 2023. From there, Atlanta cut him loose in 2024 and he signed a two-year, $10 million deal with the Dolphins.
From there, Smith was traded by the Dolphins to Pittsburgh, along with Jalen Ramsey and a 2027 seventh-round pick in exchange for DB Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
Pittsburgh released him after one season in a cost-cutting move.
In 2025, Smith appeared in all 17 games for the Steelers, making seven starts. He caught 38 passes for 222 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
We have him included in our Top 100 Available NFL Free Agents list.
The Browns are very thin at tight end. 2025 third-round pick Harold Fannin Jr. had a fantastic rookie season, with 72 receptions for 731 yards and seven touchdowns despite questions about his ability to translate his college production and playstyle to the NFL. Those questions have been answered, emphatically, but it gets thin quickly behind him in Cleveland.
David Njoku is now in Los Angeles with the Chargers. Gone is the Browns’ do-it-all in-line tight end, a factor in the receiving game and a capable blocker on the line of scrimmage. They don’t have a guy like that right now, with Jack Stoll and 2026 fifth-round pick Joe Royer as Fannin’s primary backups. Fannin himself is a move tight...
