New Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Jonnu Smith talked about his trade to the AFC North from the Miami Dolphins for the first time on Wednesday.
Smith, who received a new one-year, $12 million contract as part of the trade, joins his former longtime offensive coordinator and head coach, Arthur Smith, with the Steelers.
Jonnu and Arthur have long ties with one another, and by the end of contract negotiations with the Dolphins, Jonnu was unsure if he was wanted in Miami. With Arthur Smith in Pittsburgh, he knows he is wanted there.
“I’m in a situation where I’m appreciated,” Smith said on The Terron Armstead Podcast. “You’re always going to go where you’re most valued and appreciated.”
Smith said that during negotiations, the Dolphins decided they could not go any higher and looked at trade avenues instead. That hurt Smith, who is coming off the best season of his career, including his first Pro Bowl appearance.
Discussions on his contract started in January but festered heading into the spring when the Steelers started calling to see if the Dolphins would move on from Smith. By that point, it became clearer that the Dolphins were ready to go elsewhere.
“I had to make the decision to go where I’m appreciated and viewed on paper, economically, contract-wise as a top guy in this league which I know I am,” Smith said. “Pittsburgh was the team that saw me as that. Going through that process, I was hurt. I didn’t think that collectively — as an organization, players, coaches — that [they believed] trading Jonnu Smith is where our success starts."
He set career-highs last year with 88 receptions for 884 yards and eight touchdowns in the Dolphins offense. All of those marks were franchise records.
During his years with Arthur, Jonnu Smith progressively became a more prominent part of the offense, putting up consecutive 400-yard seasons with Arthur Smith as the offensive coordinator.
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