CB Stephon Gilmore Aims To Play In 2025
July 3: Gilmore confirmed on The Money Down podcast that he wants to play in 2025, though he is looking for “the right place” for his 14th NFL season.
“I’m not just going to sign anywhere,” said Gilmore (via Pro Football Talk’s Charean Williams), “so it’s got to be the right situation.”
June 29: In the wake of the 2024 campaign, Stephon Gilmore emerged as one of the veteran Vikings who could elect to retire. No announcement on that front has been made yet, meaning the former Defensive Player of the Year is likely planning to sign with a new team ahead of training camp. 
Indeed, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport noted on a recent Pat McAfee Show appearance (video link) he “believes” Gilmore wants to continue his career. Since the end of his three-year Patriots tenure, the two-time All-Pro has bounced around the NFL. The past four seasons have consisted of one-and-done campaigns with the Panthers, Colts, Cowboys and Vikings.
After being limited to eight games during his 2021 Carolina campaign, Gilmore has managed to remain healthy and continue operating as a full-time starter at each stop. The 34-year-old topped 1,000 defensive snaps in 2022 and ’23 and was a key member of Minnesota’s secondary last season. A return to his peak form will not be expected on a new contract, but with 33 pass deflections over the past three years Gilmore could still offer suitors veteran playmaking at the cornerback spot.
One major domino at that position fell when Jaire Alexander signed with the Ravens. The former Packers Pro Bowler took a one-year deal with a base value of $4MM, a steep decline from what the remainder of his Green Bay pact called for but a sign of his drop in value due to injuries. Gilmore is older than Alexander but his durability could help his value on a summer arrangement.
Jalen Ramsey remains on the trade block, with the Dolphins committed to moving him. The list of suitors in his case is short, though, and any teams looking for a veteran cover man which do not end up acquiring Ramsey could look Gilmore’s way. The latter would become a 14-year NFL veteran in the event he were to join a team in time for the 2025 campaign.
A five-time Pro Bowler who has a Super Bowl title on his resume, Gilmore’s decorated career could continue if he generates a market this summer. A one-year deal will likely be sufficient for any suitors looking to add him as a veteran starting option.
Latest On Falcons’ LB Situation
Kaden Elliss is in line to once again operate as a full-time linebacker starter for the Falcons in 2025. It remains to be seen who will occupy the other first-team role at that spot. 
Atlanta added Divine Deablo on a two-year, $14MM pact in free agency. The former Raider made 42 starts while playing out his rookie contract, handling a regular defensive role over each of the past three seasons. That could continue during his debut Atlanta campaign.
ESPN’s Marc Raimondi writes head coach Raheem Morris has been impressed with Deablo so far. The 26-year-old is candidate to start alongside Elliss in 2025, with Deablo also a candidate at this point to wear the green dot as the defense’s signal-caller. His best season came in 2023, with 106 tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery. A repeat of that production would certainly help Deablo’s chances of maintaining a full-time starting gig.
In other Falcons linebacker news, the status of Troy Andersen remains unclear at this point. The 26-year-old was limited to just two games in 2023 due to shoulder and pectoral injuries. He once again finished the campaign on injured reserve last season after seven games played. Andersen’s situation has not been specifically updated recently, but Morris said in June the Falcons had a few players they would be “extremely cautious” with.
Will McFadden of the team’s website notes Andersen can be put in that category. The Montana State product is nevertheless expected to be available at some point this season, per McFadden, with Week 1 not out of the question. When healthy, though, Andersen may not be in line for the starting spot he appeared to be on track to handle at the start of the 2023 campaign. As a pending free agent, his showing this year will be critical, and a cautious approach on the recovery front is an understandable one for team and player.
Elliss has been with the Falcons since 2023 after a four-year run with the Saints. He has eclipsed 120 tackles in both of his Falcons campaigns, adding nine sacks over that span. Expectations will remain high for the coming campaign as a result, but it will be interesting to see how the team proceeds with respect to who will join him as a starting linebacker.
TE Jonnu Smith On Dolphins Departure
Coming off a career year in 2024, Jonnu Smith aimed to remain in Miami for the coming season and beyond. Talks on an extension did not produce an agreement, however, leaving a trade as a distinct possibility. 
Indeed, Smith was included in the blockbuster deal which saw All-Pro defensive backs Jalen Ramsey and Minkah Fitzpatrick traded earlier this week. Smith, like Ramsey, is headed to Pittsburgh. That will allow him to reunite once again with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Nevertheless, the trade came as a surprise in Jonnu Smith’s case.
“I didn’t foresee this happening with how the season went for me individually,” the 29-year-old said during an appearance on former teammate Terron Armstead‘s podcast (video link). “I had aspirations of ending my career in Miami, with it being home for me, my children, my family. But I understand the business side of it, and it didn’t work out.”
2024 saw Smith record the most productive campaign by a tight end in Dolphins history with 884 yards and eight touchdowns. That helped his leverage in attempting to secure a raise on a new deal compared to the $4.09MM he was owed for the coming season. After a number of other offseason moves took place, though, the Dolphins made it known a new pact in line with Smith’s asking price was not forthcoming.
“We started this conversation in January with Miami and, obviously, giving me the run-around, ‘We’ll [get] back to it,’” Smith added. “I was patient with them throughout the whole entire process, and eventually it came to a point in time where they told me that they just can’t do it and they weren’t economically in a position to pay me like a Pro Bowl tight end.”
Over his first seven years in the league, Smith topped 500 receiving yards once. As a result, it is understandable the Dolphins viewed his Pro Bowl campaign in 2024 as an outlier more than an indication he would be able to duplicate that success moving forward in head coach Mike McDaniel‘s scheme. After agreeing to trade Smith to Pittsburgh, Miami took an unexpected route to find his replacement, acquiring the now-unretired Darren Waller from the Giants.
The Steelers worked out a one-year, $12MM Smith extension as part of the trade. The former third-rounder will be expected to operate as part of a productive TE tandem with Pat Freiermuth during a 2025 campaign which will feature several new faces on offense in Pittsburgh. How Smith fares in his latest NFL gig will be key in determining whether or not the Dolphins’ decision to move on was the right one.
Broncos S P.J. Locke Expected To Be Healthy By Training Camp Following Spinal Fusion
P.J. Locke played in the Broncos’ wild-card loss but was then unable to participate in team drills during minicamp this spring. The sixth-year safety was sidelined as a result of the spinal surgery he underwent following the 2024 campaign. 
As detailed in a video released on Locke’s YouTube channel, an MRI conducted one day after Denver’s season came to an end revealed a spinal fusion would be necessary. The procedure was a success, something which is key for Locke and the Broncos’ secondary. A full recovery in time for training camp is expected, Luca Evans of the Denver Post reports.
“I feel like, man, it’s just been a miracle,” Locke said in the video when reflecting on his recovery process. “I feel like it’s been a breakthrough that I’ve been praying for.”
A former UDFA, Locke did not register any starts across his first three Broncos seasons. He took on a much larger workload in 2023, however, logging a 69% snap share. Last season, the 28-year-old was on the field for over 1,000 defensive snaps.
The Talanoa Hufangaaddition, though, is expected to demote Locke to the backup level. Hufanga and Brandon Jones are positioned to start, but Locke — after two seasons as a defensive regular — represents high-end depth. This safety trio will be counted on to help Denver’s defense repeat last year’s defensive success (No. 3 in points allowed) in 2025.
Locke re-signed with the Broncos last March, and the $3.5MM average annual value of that pact represented a notable raise from his previous deals. The Texas product enters the coming campaign as a pending free agent, though, so his performance will be critical in determining his future. Provided the final stages of his rehab process go as planned, Locke will be available once training camp starts later this month in advance of an important campaign for himself and the Broncos.
Largest 2025 Cap Hits: Offense
Last offseason brought about a record-breaking jump in the salary cap. This year, the ceiling rose to $279.2MM, another notable spike. The market at a number of positions will benefit from the ongoing surge in spending power available to teams, with quarterbacks obviously the largest standout in that respect.
In 2024, a pair of signal-callers surpassed the $50MM mark in terms of cap charges for the season. That will not be the case this time around, but to little surprise quarterbacks once again lead the way in terms of representing the largest share of many teams’ financial commitments for 2025. Positions such as receiver and offensive tackle have also generally not reached the same peak in terms of cap commitments as last year.
Leading up to training camp, are the NFL’s top 25 cap charges for offensive players:
- Dak Prescott, QB (Cowboys): $50.52MM
- Matthew Stafford, QB (Rams): $47.47MM
- Joe Burrow, QB (Bengals): $46MM
- Lamar Jackson, QB (Ravens): $43.5MM
- Kyler Murray, QB (Cardinals): $43.33MM
- Kirk Cousins, QB (Falcons): $40MM
- Geno Smith, QB (Raiders): $40MM
- Tua Tagovailoa, QB (Dolphins): $39.18MM
- Justin Herbert, QB (Chargers): $37.35MM
- Josh Allen, QB (Bills): $36.34MM
- Deshaun Watson, QB (Browns): $35.97MM
- Jared Goff, QB (Lions): $32.6MM
- Taylor Moton, RT (Panthers): $31.35MM
- Jordan Love, QB (Packers): $29.69MM
- Patrick Mahomes, QB (Chiefs): $28.06MM
- Calvin Ridley, WR (Titans): $28MM
- Tyreek Hill, WR (Dolphins): $27.7MM
- Jawaan Taylor, RT (Chiefs): $27.39MM
- Baker Mayfield, QB (Buccaneers): $26.48MM
- Terry McLaurin, WR (Commanders): $25.5MM
- Mike Evans, WR (Buccaneers): $25.36MM
- D.J. Moore, WR (Bears): $24.9MM
- Tee Higgins, WR (Bengals): $24.06MM
- Ja’Marr Chase, WR (Bengals): $23.57MM
- Trey Smith, RG (Chiefs): $23.4MM
Prescott’s last-minute 2024 Cowboys extension made him the first player in NFL history to carry an AAV of $60MM. That pact will have lasting impacts well beyond the coming campaign, as the team looks to also fit in the big-ticket extension CeeDee Lamb inked last summer and the one Micah Parsons is in position to sign at some point before Week 1. 
Once again, Stafford and the Rams entered the spring with plenty of uncertainty. Retirement was a consideration quickly done away with in the case of the 37-year-old, but it remained to be seen if he would remain in Los Angeles. Trade offers came in from numerous suitors, and the chance existed for Stafford to land a more lucrative deal elsewhere. In the end, though, team and player reached agreement on another reworked pact. Stafford is now in line to receive $84MM over the next two years, including guaranteed money in 2026. A bit of continuity will thus be in place under center for the Rams.
2020 draft classmates Burrow, Tagovailoa and Herbert are understandable top-10 players on this list given their respective deals. All three are on the books for years to come as they look to unseat the Chiefs atop the AFC. Burrow spoke about restructuring his pact to create the cap space necessary for the Bengals to retain or extend each of their key in-house players this offseason. That has yet to take place, and it will be interesting to see if a reworking is explored while talks on the Trey Hendrickson front continue.
The Ravens have worked out a few extensions on offense already (Derrick Henry, Rashod Bateman) but Jackson looms as a candidate for a new deal. Three years remain on his pact, but starting in 2026 his cap charge is scheduled so spike well past its current figure. The two-time MVP has discussed a new arrangement this offseason, and a bump in guarantees and overall compensation similar to what the Bills did with Allen would come as no surprise.
Cousins’ figure stands out, of course, given the fact he is slated to operate as Atlanta’s backup this season. With no release coming and no trade imminent, the four-time Pro Bowler is set to stay in place behind Michael Penix Jr. Cousins has made progress in his rehab from shoulder and ankle injuries suffered prior to his benching midway through his debut Atlanta season. With $10MM already guaranteed for next year, it will be interesting to see if a trade market develops in the coming months in his case.
With the exception of Watson – whose second Achilles tear is set to sideline him for most or all of the coming campaign – the remaining quarterbacks on the list are positioned to serve as starters for their respective teams. Only Geno Smith will be suiting up for a new organization after he was traded from the Seahawks to the Raiders. That swap was followed up by a two-year, $75MM extension and allowed him to reunite with head coach Pete Carroll. A short-term upgrade under center will be key as Vegas looks to find stability on the sidelines and in the front office.
Moton’s cap figure was a talking point earlier this offseason, but the Panthers are content to avoid a fourth restructure in his case. The pending free agent hopes to finish his career in Carolina, but an extension would have helped ensure that while lowering his immediate cap charge. In the absence of such an agreement, it will be interesting to see if Moton, 30, can deliver another strong showing in 2025.
Ridley is perhaps a surprising figure to lead the way in terms of cap charges at the receiver spot. He will operate as a key member of the Titans’ offense, a unit whose success will of course depend in large part on the play of rookie Cam Ward. Ridley has two more years left on his deal beyond 2025, but with limited guarantees owed over that span his Tennessee future could be greatly impacted by who this season plays out. 
The likes of Hill, Evans and Moore are not currently the subject of speculation regarding their future. McLaurin, however, was absent from much of the Commanders’ spring practices with little progress being made at the negotiating table. Plenty of work is still required at this point to avoid a potential free agent departure next spring. Coming off a career-high in touchdowns while thriving alongside Jayden Daniels, the two-time Pro Bowler is in line for a raise which will likely lower his cap hit this season.
Chase and Higgins inked their deals simultaneously, putting an end to questions regarding where the latter in particular would play on his second contract. Those two, together with Burrow, will serve as foundational players for years to come in Cincinnati. It will be interesting to see how long Chase (with an AAV of $40.25MM) remains the league’s top earner in that respect for non-quarterbacks.
Kansas City’s offensive line faces questions entering the season. Despite his big-ticket contract, Taylor is not a lock to remain a starter at this point. With no guaranteed left on the final year of his deal (2026), a parting of ways could be in store next spring if a backup gig ensues. Trey Smith, meanwhile, remains attached to the franchise tag although an extension is among the team’s remaining offseason priorities.
No Formal Discussions Imminent Regarding 18-Game Schedule
It has long been viewed as an inevitability that the NFL will expand to an 18-game regular season. An adjustment to the CBA will be required for that to be possible, and as such an agreement involving the NFL and NFLPA will need to be negotiated. 
Informal talks on the subject of reducing the preseason to two games and adding an 18th regular season contest have taken place between the league and union already. In part due to those discussions, some have pointed to 2027 or 2028 as the point at which an expanded schedule could be implemented. The current CBA runs through 2030, but new media rights deals – and thus the main source of another pending surge in revenues – will be in place by then.
Commissioner Roger Goodell said this spring that no formal discussions are planned about CBA adjustments or extensions. To little surprise, then, Mark Maske of the Washington Post reports no serious talks related to the schedule are expected to commence until at least early 2026. Any concession on the part of the union would of course be tied to negotiations on other fronts. Topics such as travel, playing surfaces and the addition of a second bye week have been mentioned as key issues for the NFLPA.
Maske names the period after the 2026 league meeting as a point at which negotiations could pick up. In any case, the nature of talks on this front will make for a notable storyline as efforts on the league’s part continue to expand the regular season schedule. Per Maske, Goodell has not yet “pressed” the union to accelerate discussions, although the NFL’s goals regarding a broader international schedule in particular are of course well known.
Adding an 18th game would likely pave the way for a slate of 16 international contests each regular season. Other matters will no doubt be tied to movement on this front, so a number of key CBA-related issues will be affected if/when an agreement can be reached between the league and union. The timeline for such talks is currently uncertain, though.
RT Taylor Moton Hopes To Finish Career With Panthers
One year remains on Taylor Moton‘s contract. The Panthers are set to have their longtime right tackle play out the 2025 campaign while carrying an inflated cap charge, but it remains to be seen how the parties will move forward beyond that point. 
If Moton has his way, however, he will stay in Carolina through the remainder of his career. The 30-year-old has handled starting duties since his second NFL season, compiling an Ironman streak of 104 consecutive starts along the way. That franchise-record mark came to an end in 2024, but Moton does not feel as though his playing days are nearing an end at this point.
“Looking forward, I do believe I have another contract in me,” the ninth-year veteran said, via Joe Person of The Athletic (subscription required). “But right now my focus is on the 2025 season and making sure I do whatever I can to have the best season I can for everybody involved.”
Moton inked a five-year, $85MM extension in 2021. That pact has been restructured three times, resulting in a $31.35MM cap charge for the 2025 campaign. General manager Dan Morgan made it clear early in the offseason the team would be comfortable with that figure for one year. In the absence of an extension, though, Moton’s Carolina future and market value will be dictated by his level of play this season.
The former second-rounder has remained consistent throughout his Panthers tenure, grading out between 13th and 23rd amongst qualifying tackles in terms of PFF evaluation over six of the past seven years. A similar performance in 2025 would help Carolina’s efforts to build off the offensive momentum shown at the end of last season. The tandem of Moton and left tackle Ikem Ekwonu will remain together for at least one more campaign, but the latter hopes to land a Panthers extension tying him to the team well past 2026.
Moton was limited to 14 contests last year, and a pectoral injury limited his workload during OTAs and minicamp this spring. He expressed confidence in his ability to deal with the knee issues which have arisen in recent years, though, something which will be key in determining his availability and level of play in 2025. It will be interesting to see if a strong start to the campaign opens the door to extension talks or if the Panthers prepare for a potential departure in the spring.
Browns Finalize Land Purchase For Domed Stadium Construction
JULY 1: Ohio’s budget has been finalized, and the Browns are officially set to proceed with construction on the new stadium. A statement from Jimmy and Dee Haslam confirms the project will move forward with the land deal now in place.
JUNE 28: Efforts on the part of the Browns to construct a new, domed stadium have seen a notable development. An agreement has been reached for the purchase of land 12 miles outside of downtown Cleveland. 
Primacy Development – a company located at the Browns’ headquarters with ties to the Haslam Sports Group – has closed on the purchase of a 176-acre plot in Brook Park, Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan reports. Cuyahoga County records indicate the price will check in at more than $76MM. This news comes after the Browns exercised their purchase option on the land in December.
To pave the way for the agreement to be finalized, the Modell Law (which prevented the Browns from leaving Cleveland) has been amended. Ohio governor Mike DeWine is now in position to sign the necessary provisions into law next week while finalizing the state’s budget. That includes $600MM in state funding for the construction of the team’s new stadium, which is currently expected to cost a total of $2.4 billion.
The Browns’ new home will be a domed (rather than outdoor) stadium, making it the first of its kind in the AFC North (and marking a departure from the Ravens, Steelers and Bengals). Once construction is complete, the AFC East will be the league’s only division consisting entirely of teams – the Bills, Dolphins, Patriots and Jets – which play outdoors when at home.
The targeted start time for construction of Cleveland’s new stadium is early next year, with the Browns planning to move there in time for the 2029 campaign. Provided the land purchase agreement is indeed finalized in the coming days, the process will take an important step forward.
Dolphins Trade Jalen Ramsey To Steelers For Minkah Fitzpatrick
The Jalen Ramsey trade saga is coming to an end. The All-Pro corner is on the move, but not out west as many predicted. 
The Dolphins have reached agreement with the Steelers on a Ramsey swap, Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network report. Pittsburgh recently emerged as the most recent team likely to be eliminated from the list of landing spots in this case, but a trade has nevertheless been worked out and is now official. Ramsey will receive a $3MM bump in pay as part of this deal.
[RELATED: Steelers Acquire, Extend TE Jonnu Smith]
With the Dolphins paying $7MM of the $26.6MM Ramsey was owed this season, Rapoport reports the Steelers will be responsible for the remainder of that total. Pittsburgh will thus pay him $19.6MM in 2025.
Adding an unexpected layer to this blockbuster deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is headed the other way in the swap. Fitzpatrick began his career in Miami, and the former first-rounder was dealt to the Steelers in 2019. He will now return to his original team for 2025. This represents the first time since 2002 there have been players with five or more Pro Bowl nods traded for one another (h/t Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports).
Rapoport notes the Rams and Steelers were the two main Ramsey suitors, with Los Angeles long representing the expected destination in this situation. He adds Pittsburgh was out of the running until very recently, but that has obviously changed rather quickly. Ramsey himself has confirmed that he is headed to the Steelers, which will be his fourth career team.
The three-time All-Pro spent the past two seasons in Miami, rebounding from his injury-shortened 2023 campaign to play a full slate last year. Ramsey appeared set to remain in South Beach for the foreseeable future when he agreed to a lucrative extension last offseason, but a falling out with head coach Mike McDaniel led to the mutual decision a parting of ways would be best. Ramsey was on the trade block through the spring, but the list of suitors publicly expressing interest proved to be rather short.
Rams head coach Sean McVay made it clear the team was open to a Ramsey reunion (after he helped the team win the Super Bowl in 2021). Finances were a sticking point in this case, however. The seven-time Pro Bowler has already received a $4MM roster bonus from Miami, but his outstanding $21MM-plus in compensation for the year is guaranteed. Ramsey is on the books for another three yeas after the coming campaign, but an adjustment to his pact has been expected upon arrival with an acquiring team.
Despite a limited market emerging, the Dolphins remained steadfast in their desire to move on from Ramsey. The 30-year-old has proven to be one of the league’s top corners over the course of his career, although age will become a concern during his Steelers tenure. Nonetheless, Pittsburgh’s CB depth chart now includes another standout veteran after the team added Darius Slay in free agency. Those two will join returnee Joey Porter Jr. in a secondary which will look much different in 2025.
Fitzpatrick only played 18 games during his first Dolphins tenure. Expectations were high for the former No. 11 pick, but his departure came about as part of the team’s maneuvering in advance of the 2020 draft (which brought about the selection of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa). Upon arrival in Pittsburgh, Fitzpatrick shone and earned first-team All-Pro honors. He remained productive through the following years.
However, things took an unwanted turn following the 2022 campaign (one in which Fitzpatrick recorded a league-leading six interceptions). Over the past two seasons, the Alabama product has been limited to just one pick and seven pass deflections while operating in different areas on the field. A five-time Pro Bowler, Fitzpatrick will aim to return to his previous form during his second Dolphins stint. His original team has a notable vacancy at the cornerback spot, but he will provide starting play at the safety position.
Two years remain on Fitzpatrick’s contract, and he is set to carry cap charges of $22.36MM and $24.46MM as things stand. With none of his remaining base salaries guaranteed, the Steelers will create $15.5MM in savings while generating a dead money charge of only $6.86MM. Those figures will help absorb the incoming Ramsey pact.
Pittsburgh has made a number of aggressive moves this offseason, deviating from standard operating procedure. The additions of Aaron Rodgers and D.K Metcalf were aimed at upgrading on offense, a unit which has been further augmented with today’s blockbuster. Ramsey will aim to further fuel the team’s Super Bowl aspirations for what will likely be a one-and-done Rodgers season. The Dolphins, meanwhile, will move forward in 2025 with a much different core in terms of veterans on both sides of the ball.
Steelers Acquire, Extend TE Jonnu Smith
Part of the Jalen Ramsey–Minkah Fitzpatrick blockbuster will see the Dolphins and Steelers agree to another swap. Tight end Jonnu Smith is headed to Pittsburgh.
With the dust having settled on all portions of this singular trade (which is now official), here are the full details (courtesy of NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport):
Steelers receive:
- Ramsey
- Smith
- 2027 seventh-round pick
Dolphins receive:
- Fitzpatrick
- 2027 fifth-round pick
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Smith will receive a one-year, $12MM extension upon arrival in Pittsburgh, allowing him to earn a raise as hoped. Finances were a sticking point between he and the Dolphins. Smith preferred to remain in Miami, but after enjoying a career year and setting a new franchise record for tight end production he aimed to parlay his play into a new pact.
[RELATED: Fallout From Dolphins, Steelers’ Sides Of Ramsey Trade]
On more than one occasion, the Steelers emerged as a potential landing spot for Smith in the event no new Dolphins pact could be worked out. Talks on a Miami extension took place, but the 29-year-old’s absence from minicamp was a sign this situation could end in a change of scenery. After only one year with the Dolphins, Smith is indeed on the move once again. Of course, today’s news means he is in store for another reunion with Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
Jonnu and Arthur Smith worked together with the Titans and again when they were alongside each other with the Falcons. The latter took on OC duties in Pittsburgh last season, overseeing an offense which used both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields at quarterback. QB1 duties are now held by Aaron Rodgers, who will likely retire after this season. The Steelers are certainly not being shy in terms of notable moves on both sides of the ball in preparation for the coming campaign.
Pittsburgh already has Pat Freiermuth in place at the tight end spot. The former second-rounder is under contract through 2028, something which made a potential Smith move a somewhat awkward one. Now that it is in place, though, the Steelers can be expected to lean heavily on two-tight end sets. With uncertainly looming over the team’s WR options aside from D.K. Metcalf, Smith will give Pittsburgh a veteran pass-catching option.
The former third-rounder posted a statline of 88-884-8 last season, leading to his first career Pro Bowl nod. Expectations will be high for Smith with his fifth NFL team given his production and the fact he will be in a familiar scheme. For the Dolphins, meanwhile, Ramsey’s departure has created a notable vacancy at the CB position; the loss of Smith will likewise leave the team short on experienced tight ends.
The 2025 offseason has seen a major exodus in terms of veterans in Miami, by means of free agent departures, releases and trades. As the Dolphins look to bounce back from last year’s underwhelming campaign, they will do so with a slew of new faces on both sides of the ball. Smith is now under contract for the next two years. He will look to operate as a complementary option for Rodgers and Co. as Pittsburgh takes a run at a Super Bowl in 2025.