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NFL: Dolphins And Steelers Swap Minkah Fitzpatrick, Jalen Ramsey, And Jonnu Smith In Blockbuster Trade

Miami will receive Fitzpatrick and a 2027 draft pick from Pittsburgh for Smith, Ramsey, and a 2027 draft pick.

Written by Matthew Gideon
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NFL: Dolphins And Steelers Swap Minkah Fitzpatrick, Jalen Ramsey, And Jonnu Smith In Blockbuster Trade

The Pittsburgh Steelers are trading three-time All-Pro safety Mikah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 fifth-round draft pick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for Pro Bowl tight end Jonnu Smith, seven-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey, and a 2027 seventh-round draft pick, according to sources that spoke to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. As a part of the deal, Ramsey will receive a one-year contract extension worth up to $12 million.

The Pittsburgh Steelers will be increasing Ramsey’s salary by $1.5 million, bringing his total compensation for the 2025-26 season to $26.6 million contract. The Steelers will be responsible for taking on a majority of the contract, while the Dolphins will have to take on a smaller portion.

Minkah Fitzpatrick was originally taken by the Miami Dolphins in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft before being traded to Pittsburgh in 2019. In six seasons with the Steelers, Fitzpatrick was named to four Pro Bowls and earned First-Team All-Pro honors twice.

Jalen Ramsey is a former three-time First-Team All-Pro who has spent the last two seasons in Miami. In 27 games with the ‘Phins, he recorded five interceptions and was named to the 2024 Pro Bowl.

Jonnu Smith is a soon-to-be 30-year-old tight end who is coming off the best season of his career. In 17 games, he recorded 88 receptions for 884 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns, all career-highs for the 2025 Pro Bowler.

The Steelers are all in

A month ago, I was berating the Steelers for their lack of direction at quarterback and their inability to address their biggest problems on both sides of the ball. Today, though, I am singing a different tune because the Pittsburgh Steelers appear to be going for broke during the 2025-26 season.

Coming out of the NFL Draft, the Steelers had an obvious, glaring need for a veteran quarterback. On top of that, they didn’t do much to address their secondary, which needed another starting cornerback. Management recognized these flaws and set out to make some changes. First, they signed Aaron Rodgers to a team-friendly one-year contract. Less than two weeks later, they signed safety DeShon Elliott to a two-year extension. And just a few hours ago, Pittsburgh completed this blockbuster trade that lands them a good starting cornerback and another offensive weapon to take some of the attention away from DK Metcalf.

For the first time in several years, it feels like the Pittsburgh Steelers are actually a serious threat to win the Super Bowl. The Steelers could legitimately be a 12- or 13-win team, which should be good enough to earn them a home playoff game, something this franchise hasn’t gotten to experience since 2021.

Right now, Pittsburgh is poised to have one of the best defenses in the NFL. The Steelers already had a strong defensive unit last season (eighth in points per game allowed). By adding Jalen Ramsey, Derrick Harmon, and Darius Slay, this team has a chance to finish the regular season with a top-five defense.

On the offensive side of the ball, Aaron Rodgers now has not one but two reliable tight ends to throw the ball to. DK Metcalf will be able to stretch the field and be a deep threat, while Robert Woods and Scotty Miller will make plays at the first and second levels offensively. If this team can get meaningful production out of running backs Jaylen Warren and Kaleb Johnson, then the Steelers could make some noise in the playoffs.

The Dolphins get some secondary support at a cost

There had already been rumors swirling that the ‘Phins wanted to part ways with Jalen Ramsey. Plus, they needed some additional support in the secondary following the departure of Jevon Holland in free agency. By trading for Fitzpatrick, they killed two birds with one stone. But losing Jonnue Smith in the process makes this a hard trade to accept.

The loss of Smith will likely be a huge blow to Miami’s offense. During the 2024-25 campaign, Jonnu Smith led the Dolphins in receptions and receiving touchdowns while finishing second in receiving yards. That type of production will almost certainly not be replicated by the other tight ends on the roster, who combined for 181 receiving yards on 23 catches last season.

What’s really sad is that Jonnu Smith didn’t want to be traded. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said that Smith “would definitely” want to stay in Miami and that “His dream team is the Dolphins.” Miami head coach Mike McDaniel also said that he hadn’t “considered anything other than I want Jonnu on the team.” So now, instead of living in Miami, where Smith played at the high school, college, and professional levels, he’ll be in Pittsburgh, where the weather is almost the exact opposite of what it’s like in Florida.

The positive part about this deal for the Dolphins is that Miami doesn’t have to take on a large portion of Ramsey’s cap hit this season. That flexibility will be helpful when finding replacements for Smith and Ramsey.

At the end of the day, though, this move doesn’t make the Dolphins that much better. They lost two important starters on both sides of the ball to bring in an elite safety who only has two years left on his contract. I would say that Miami will be worse during the 2025-26 season because of this trade.

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