Adam Schefter can’t seem to get his story straight on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ interest in trading for TE Jonnu Smith, but one thing is very clear. Arthur Smith loves Smith and would probably be ecstatic to reunite with him in Pittsburgh.
NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe spoke to Arthur Smith and had this to say via The Insiders this evening.
“Right now, both sides want to be back in Miami. If it goes sideways, a deal can’t get done, maybe that’s when we see a trade. If we do, I’d look at the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Wolfe said. “I’ve talked to their offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith, and he loves Jonnu Smith probably more than anybody other than Jonnu Smith’s mama.”
Of Jonnu Smith’s eight seasons in the NFL, five of them have been with Arthur Smith as his coach. He had him as a TE coach and offensive coordinator in Tennessee and then as a head coach in Atlanta for a year.
Our Alex Kozora recapped some of Arthur Smith’s thoughts on Jonnu Smith after the Falcons traded for him in 2023.
“That guy means so much to me,” Smith told the Atlanta media.
The Steelers need another receiving threat. Nothing says it has to be a wide receiver. If you stacked Jonnu Smith’s Pro Bowl 2024 season up against all tight end seasons in Steelers’ history, it would arguably be the best ever. His 884 yards would be second only to Eric Green, and his eight touchdowns would be tied with Heath Miller for the most ever in franchise history.
With this evening’s breaking news of TE Donald Parham Jr. suffering an Achilles tear at OTAs, it makes even more sense for the Steelers to add a tight end who can round out that room and add a significant playmaker to the offense.
Arthur Smith runs a ton of multi-TE packages. Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington are locks, but Connor Heyward was hardly a contributor on offense last year. They need at least one more on the roster, and Smith makes all the sense.
As Wolfe said, this Jonnu Smith situation is “all about the money.” The Steelers have money to spend and a fairly urgent need at the position. With Smith, they can kill two birds with one stone.
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