Jalen Ramsey To Skip Dolphins’ Mandatory Minicamp
As Jalen Ramsey and the Dolphins continue to prepare for a parting of the ways, the seven-time Pro Bowler will skip Miami’s three-day mandatory minicamp, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. Minicamp begins on Tuesday, June 10.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said last week (via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques) that “nothing has changed” regarding Ramsey. The team has insisted that the decision to seek a trade for the veteran cornerback is mutual, but Ramsey has been pushing for an exit, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. He likely lost his $100k workout bonus by skipping OTAs and will incur another $105k in fines for skipping minicamp.
The veteran cornerback has generated “more interest…than people realize,” according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Jackson), but his contract remains a sticking point. An acquiring team would have to pick up at least $2.02MM in 2025 (Ramsey’s salary and per game roster bonus) with $65.7MM of non-guaranteed money due over the following three years. However, the Dolphins already paid Ramsey’s $4MM roster bonus in March and would prefer to shed the remaining $20.235MM in guaranteed money on his deal, which includes an $18.98MM option bonus due on August 31, per OverTheCap.
If Ramsey’s new team doesn’t want to absorb all of Ramsey’s option bonus, the Dolphins could handle his contract in a manner similar to the Eagles-49ers Bryce Huff trade. Philadelphia declined Huff’s fully-guaranteed option bonus, which turned into a guaranteed salary for the same amount. The Eagles then restructured a portion of that salary into a signing bonus to absorb some of Huff’s remaining money and spread the dead cap charges across two years; the 49ers took on the rest of Huff’s 2025 salary.
A completed trade would leave $10.7MM in dead money on the Dolphins’ 2025 cap, along with any additional money they absorb in the deal. Another $18.4MM would hit the books in 2026, which could increase if Miami eats 2025 salary and converts it into a signing bonus as described above.
Despite interest from around the league, a trade is no guarantee. ESPN’s Dan Graziano believes that Ramsey is more likely to be released than traded. In that case, the Dolphins would likely exercise his option bonus early, resulting in $11.8MM in dead cap charges in 2025 and a whopping $40.4MM in 2026.
Lingering Knee Injury Drove LT Terron Armstead’s Retirement
Retirement was known to be a distinct possibility in Terron Armstead‘s case this offseason well before it became official he will no longer play in the NFL. The 12-year veteran addressed his injury issues and their role in his playing days coming to an end. 
Armstead was consistently one of the league’s top blindside protectors when healthy during his time with the Saints (2013-21) and Dolphins (2022-24). Remaining available proved to be a problem on both teams, however, as he played 10 or fewer games six times in his career. In particular, a knee ailment suffered in 2015 led to lingering problems through the remainder of Armstead’s tenure.
“I’ve been dealing with a knee since my third year in the league,” the 33-year-old said during an appearance on The Nightcap Show (video link). “I didn’t see a practice field at all, and not because I didn’t want to or the Dolphins just wanted me to rest. It’s like I literally couldn’t walk. After a game on Sunday, I wouldn’t be able to walk on my own, under my own power, until Wednesday, Thursday.
“So I was only able to play under the pain meds. I couldn’t put any pressure on my knee, so it was like, I can’t keep doing that to myself.”
Considering Armstead managed to collect five Pro Bowl nods between 2018 and 2023, he was certainly able to maintain a high level of play well after suffering the initial injury. His inability to recover in full makes his decision to hang up his cleats an understandable one, however. The former third-rounder amassed over $115MM in earnings during his NFL tenure.
The Saints’ decision to allow Armstead to depart in free agency in 2022 created a notable vacancy at the left tackle spot. First-round picks have since been used on Trevor Penning (who will shift to guard in 2025) and Taliese Fuaga (who will move to right tackle after operating on the blindside last season). No. 9 pick Kelvin Banks is in position to start at left tackle as a rookie with New Orleans still attempting to find a long-term Armstead replacement.
The Dolphins, meanwhile, will rely on Patrick Paul to handle blindside duties in 2025. Selected in the second round of last year’s draft, Paul made three starts during his rookie season. A strong showing this year would set him up to provide Miami with a left tackle starter for years to come.
Armstead’s plans for his post-playing future are unclear at this point. Needless to say, though, he will aim to move past the issues related to his knee which proved to be prevalent through much of his career.
S Ifeatu Melifonwu Could Start In Miami
The Dolphins watched both starting safeties — Jevon Holland and Jordan Poyer — walk in free agency this offseason and reloaded at the position with some free agent signings of their own. Unfortunately, all three safeties the Dolphins signed lack full-time starting experience, but it sounds like Ifeatu Melifonwu has taken an early lead on one of the two starting positions, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. 
A former third-round pick out of Syracuse, Melifonwu was drafted by the Lions in large part due to the versatility he brought to the secondary. As a rookie, he started four of seven game appearances at both cornerback and safety. He likely would’ve started even more games, but a thigh injury led to a stint on injured reserve. His health issues lingered into his sophomore season, but he played in each of the final eight games that year, making one start in 10 appearances.
Finally seeming healthy, Melifonwu began his 2023 campaign as a reserve defender on special teams. An early-season injury to Kerby Joseph allowed him some starting minutes, but he reverted back to the bench when Joseph returned. Eventually, Detroit would bench Tracy Walker, and Melifonwu would start the final five games of the season, logging two interceptions and seven passes defensed in that span.
Last year, the Lions were looking to come into the season with a rotatable three-headed monster of Joseph, Brian Branch, and Melifonwu, but a training camp ankle injury kept the latter of the three off the field to start the year. He was placed on IR once again, and when his 21-day practice window opened, and he began to practice again, Melifonwu suffered a dislocated finger. The team activated him so that he would not be reverted to season-ending IR but returned him right back to IR for the third time in his career. He didn’t make it back to the field until the team’s final three games of the regular season.
Melifonwu is competing with Ashtyn Davis and re-signed Dolphin Elijah Campbell for the starting roles. While Jackson notes that Melifonwu is a front-runner for one of the starting jobs, Davis is probably the most likely to earn the other starting spot next to him. A former third-round pick out of Cal for the Jets, Davis looked like he had the makings of a full-time starter, logging 16 starts in 23 games his first two years. After that, though, the Jets seemed to lose faith as he started six games over the next three seasons.
Campbell has been in Miami for the last four years. He’s made three starts over that time and seen some reserve snaps off the bench, as well. He and rookie fifth-round pick Dante Trader will attempt to challenge the favorites, Melifonwu and Davis, for playing time as the offseason progresses.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/4/25
Today’s minor moves across the NFL:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: WR Jaelen Gill
- Waived: K Andre Szmyt
Denver Broncos
- Reverted to IR: TE Cole Fotheringham
Detroit Lions
- Waived (with injury designation): CB Divaad Wilson
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Waived (with failed physical designation): G Cooper Hodges
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: DT Ben Stille
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR Ife Adeyi
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: S Quindell Johnson
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: WR Nate McCollum
Gill becomes the 13th wide receiver on the Browns roster. While that certainly seems like a lot, keep in mind that the Browns need to run drills for four quarterbacks and some receivers aren’t able to participate at the moment. An undrafted receiver out of Fresno State last year, Gill spent the last two months of the season on the Browns’ practice squad.
The Eagles add another undrafted rookie to their group in Adeyi. The speedy, diminutive wideout spent his final two collegiate seasons at Sam Houston State. He had 30 catches for 271 yards and a touchdown, with another score on the ground. He returned punts for the Bearkats in 2024, as well.
2025 NFL Cap Space, By Team
This week started with a point on the NFL calendar that has been important for decades. Although teams have not needed to wait until June to make their most expensive cuts in many years, they do not see the funds from post-June 1 designations until that point.
With June 1 coming and going, a fourth of the league has seen the savings from post-June 1 releases arrive. That has affected the NFL’s cap-space hierarchy. Here is how every team stands (via OverTheCap) following June 2 changes:
- New England Patriots: $67.34MM
- San Francisco 49ers: $53.49MM
- Detroit Lions: $40.12MM
- New York Jets: $39.8MM
- Las Vegas Raiders: $36.16MM
- Arizona Cardinals: $32.11MM
- Dallas Cowboys: $32.11MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $31.88MM
- Seattle Seahawks: $31.21MM
- Tennessee Titans: $30.16MM
- Green Bay Packers: $28.94MM
- Cincinnati Bengals: $27.08MM
- Los Angeles Chargers: $26.83MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $26.63MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $26.54MM
- Philadelphia Eagles: $25.79MM
- New Orleans Saints: $22.62MM
- Washington Commanders: $21.13MM
- Indianapolis Colts: $20.09MM
- Los Angeles Rams: $19.44MM
- Baltimore Ravens: $18.95MM
- Carolina Panthers: $18.69MM
- Minnesota Vikings: $18.49MM
- Cleveland Browns: $18.2MM
- Houston Texans: $16.3MM
- Denver Broncos: $16.23MM
- Chicago Bears: $14.76MM
- Miami Dolphins: $13.81MM
- Kansas City Chiefs: $10.75MM
- Atlanta Falcons: $5.02MM
- New York Giants: $3.82MM
- Buffalo Bills: $1.69MM
The Jets saw their situation change the most from post-June 1 designations, as $13.5MM became available to the team after its Aaron Rodgers and C.J. Mosley cuts. Teams have up to two post-June 1 designations at their disposals. Five clubs — the Jets, Browns, Ravens, Eagles and 49ers — used both slots. Only three other teams made a post-June 1 cut before that seminal date. The eight that made these moves will have dead money split between 2025 and 2026.
Baltimore used the cost-defraying option to release Marcus Williams and Justin Tucker, while Cleveland — in Year 4 of the regrettable Deshaun Watson partnership — used it to move on from Juan Thornhill and Dalvin Tomlinson. As the Eagles’ option bonus-heavy payroll included two hefty bonus numbers for Darius Slay and James Bradberry, the reigning Super Bowl champions released both 30-something cornerbacks. Together, Slay and Bradberry will count more than $20MM on Philadelphia’s 2026 cap sheet. As for this year, though, the Browns, Eagles, Ravens and 49ers respectively saved $9.85MM, $9.4MM, $6.3MM, $6.4MM and $5.6MM, according to Spotrac.
The Jaguars made a mid-offseason decision to release Gabe Davis, doing so not long after trading up to draft Travis Hunter — with the plan to primarily play him at wide receiver — at No. 2 overall. Off-field issues, coupled with a down 2024 season, made Tucker expendable — after the Ravens drafted Tyler Loop in Round 6. The Vikings moved off Garrett Bradbury‘s contract and will replace him with free agency addition Ryan Kelly, while Mason lasted two seasons paired with C.J. Stroud‘s rookie deal. The 49ers made it known early they were moving on from Javon Hargrave, while 2024 trade addition Maliek Collins also exited the team’s D-tackle room.
Derek Carr‘s retirement being processed Tuesday also changed the Saints’ funding. The team will spread the dead money ($50.13MM) across two years. Even with the number being reduced this year, the Saints will be hit with the second-highest single-player dead money hit (behind only the Broncos’ Russell Wilson separation) in NFL history as a result of the Carr exit. The Saints will only be responsible for $19.21MM of that total in 2025. As they did with Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox‘s retirements last year, the Eagles will also process Brandon Graham‘s hit this way.
Eight of this year’s post-June 1 releases remain in free agency. The Patriots added Bradbury to replace the now-retired David Andrews, while the Vikings scooped up Hargrave. As the Steelers await Rodgers’ decision, they added two other post-June 1 releases in Slay and Thornhill. Tomlinson joined the Cardinals not long after his Browns release.
Dolphins, Steelers Resume Talks On Jonnu Smith; TE Has Discussed Miami Extension
The Dolphins-Jonnu Smith saga keeps going. After a report indicated Miami was not expected to unload Smith, ESPN’s Adam Schefter indicates talks between the Dolphins and Steelers on the veteran tight end are back on.
Smith has expressed a desire to stay in Miami, but he is angling for a new contract. The sides have talked about a new deal, per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, Omar Kelly and Isiaah Smalls Jr., though it does not sound like an extension is close. While Mike McDaniel said Tuesday he wants Smith on the 2025 roster, a player who rebounded from down New England years is underpaid relative to his recent production.
“Jonnu is a very important player and person to me, and the guys,” McDaniel said, via Kelly. “The thing that we can stand on is his professionalism and how he goes about his business. There are times that business can play a part, for sure. And a team can make it as complicated as they like if they have a lot of time to focus on what’s going on with Jonnu. I’d encourage them to focus on what’s going on in their game.”
Entering the second season of a two-year, $8.4MM deal, Smith is coming off an 884-yard season. As Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle‘s production decreased during a disappointing Dolphins season, Smith provided a spark. As he heads into an age-30 season, time is running short for the former Arthur Smith charge (in Tennessee and Atlanta) to capitalize on his prime form.
A Schefter report earlier today noted Smith was unlikely to be moved. A trade would certainly deal a blow to the Dolphins’ ability to complement Hill and Waddle at tight end, and as McDaniel and Chris Grier‘s seats do not appear particularly cool, dealing a quality tight end without a clear path to replacing him would be quite the risk.
Smith is staying away from the team until at least mandatory minicamp, and Kelly adds the Dolphins viewed the first of these rumors — which emerged last week — as a leverage play from Smith’s camp. That would indicate suspicion these are not genuine trade talks, though we have now heard them surface on multiple occasions. It would seem odd if that were a leverage play on the player’s side, as the Dolphins would obviously need to pull the trigger on a deal. But here we are, as this situation has now generated is approaching the Jalen Ramsey matter for update volume.
Arthur Smith could use Jonnu Smith in a Steelers offense lacking proven auxiliary playmakers, though Pat Freiermuth presently stands as the team’s top D.K. Metcalf complementary piece following the George Pickens trade. Pittsburgh also rosters Darnell Washington at tight end, making these Jonnu Smith talks rather interesting.
The Steelers clearly want to add another weapon to their offense after sending Pickens to the Cowboys. The repeated links to Smith suggest that he is their top target, but they have been in touch with multiple teams in recent weeks.
Pittsburgh’s persistent pursuit of Metcalf dated back to the 2024 trade deadline and was eventually rewarded in March. However, the team may have trouble extracting Smith out of Miami if the Dolphins don’t think they can find a suitable replacement by the start of the season.
Nikhil Mehta contributed to this post.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/2/25
Today’s minor moves, including a handful of recent retirements that were made official:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: S Josh Thompson
- Waived: CB Benny Sapp
Baltimore Ravens
- Placed on reserve-retired list: DT Michael Pierce (story)
Detroit Lions
- Signed: CB Divaad Wilson
- Waived/injured: CB Gavin Holmes
Green Bay Packers
- Waived/injured: WR Jadon Janke
- Waived from IR: DL Jeremiah Martin
Houston Texans
- Placed on reserve-retired list: CB Ronald Darby (story)
Miami Dolphins
- Placed on reserve-retired list: OT Terron Armstead (story)
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: OL Marcus Tate
- Placed on reserve-retired list: DE Brandon Graham (story)
Jonnu Smith Wants To Remain With Dolphins
Jonnu Smith became the subject of trade talk last week when a report of Steelers interest emerged. While a swap remains something to watch for, the veteran tight end’s preference would be to remain in Miami.
During his usual Sunday WSVN appearance, Smith’s agent Drew Rosenhaus spoke about Smith’s situation. 2024 resulted in a career high across the board for Smith (884 yards, eight touchdowns on 88 receptions). In the wake of that production – the most in a season by any Dolphins tight end – an extension is being sought. One year remains on the Pro Bowler’s current deal.
“Jonnu would definitely like to stay in Miami,” Rosenhaus said (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald). “That’s his first choice. This is where he lives in the offseason… His dream team is the Dolphins. Hopefully, everything works out where he can stay in Miami.”
Smith is currently owed $4.09MM in 2025, but an extension agreement would no doubt include a raise if one were to be worked out. Depending on how negotiations on that front go, however, the possibility of a trade could increase based on interest from outside teams. It came as no surprise when Pittsburgh emerged as a potential landing spot based on the presence of offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. The two worked together in Tennessee and again in Atlanta, so a Steelers acquisition would mark another reunion between player and coach.
Pittsburgh’s tight end depth chart is already topped by Pat Freiermuth, though, and he is on the books for another four years. Adding Smith via trade (and then, presumably, extending him) could be problematic as a result. It will be interesting to see if other suitors show interest in Smith, 29, as a starting-caliber addition late in the offseason.
In the meantime, Miami has a number of other low-cost tight end options. Pharaoh Brown is a veteran of 87 games, but he has never operated as a focal point in a team’s passing game like Smith did in 2024. The rest of the Dolphins’ TE depth chart consists of Julian Hill, Hayden Rucci and Jalin Conyers; each member of that trio entered the league as an undrafted free agent, meaning expectations will be low for whichever ones wind up earning a roster spot this summer. An opening would be created in the event Smith were to be traded, but his preference would be to avoid such a move.
Latest On Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill
Despite Tyreek Hill‘s ongoing recovery from offseason wrist surgery, the 31-year-old wideout has been an active participant at the Dolphins’ OTAs.
Hill isn’t expected to be catching passes until training camp, so he’s only taking part in positional drills. Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald) that the veteran receiver “has done a great job being proactive once he got the surgery done and making sure he can do as much as he can with the team.”
Hill said after practice that he dealt with injuries to both wrists last season, per NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe. He tore a ligament in his left wrist during training camp, but still started all 17 games during the regular season. He played at least 70% of the Dolphins’ offensive snaps in each game until issues with his ankle and right wrist limited him to 27 snaps in Week 18. An initial surgery in February placed pins in Hill’s left wrist that were later removed in a follow-up procedure in May. It’s unclear if he also had surgery on his right wrist, which was sporting a protective brace.
Hill said (via Wolfe) that he dropped 14 pounds this offseason and arrived at OTAs weighing in at 183 pounds. He’s still planning on racing Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles with a warm-up race scheduled for June 13 in Los Angeles. Hill added that he would rather compete in the 2028 Olympics in track than flag football, according to Wolfe.
A 100-meter sprint-off with Lyles seems like the kind of activity the Dolphins would want Hill to avoid, especially coming off multiple injuries. McDaniel declined to say if the team would allow the race to happen, partially because he was unaware of it in the first place.
“I have no idea, nor do I care,” said McDaniel (via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio). “First, theoretically, if people are competing and it’s helping their training — as long as he doesn’t train to be a sprinter and he’s running routes while he’s doing it, that’s cool. Whether I’m going to stand and say whether I’ll allow something — I don’t even know where that stands nor did I know that it existed.”
Those comments seem to throw cold water on Hill’s track aspirations, so the preliminary race in June may be a test of the Dolphins’ willingness to let their star wideout explore non-football athletic pursuits.
Dolphins, Steelers Exploring Jonnu Smith Trade; TE Seeking New Contract
10:27pm: Smith isn’t the only offensive playmaker about whom the Steelers have inquired. The team has has “preliminary conversations” with multiple teams as they search for another weapon alongside Metcalf, per Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports. Schultz’s report indicates that Pittsburgh will complete a trade in the coming months. After adding a third-rounder in the Pickens trade, the team now has eight selections in the 2026 NFL Draft with the potential to add four more via the compensatory pick system.
2:06pm: The Dolphins and the Steelers are exploring a trade that would send tight end Jonnu Smith to Pittsburgh, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The trade talks stem from Smith’s desire for a new contract. He arrived in Miami on a two-year, $8.4MM last offseason and quickly outplayed his value with the best receiving numbers of his career and his first Pro Bowl selection. Smith led the Dolphins with 88 catches and eight receiving touchdowns, and his 884 receiving yards trailed only Tyreek Hill. Those numbers were also the best of any tight end in franchise history.
Smith is set to earn $4.1MM this year with additional money available via incentives, per OverTheCap, a bargain relative to his recent production. However, 2024 was his first year with more than 35 yards per game, so the Dolphins may not want to overpay for what could be an outlier season.
Enter the Steelers, who remade their pass-catching corps this season by trading for D.K. Metcalf and sending George Pickens – their leading receiver since 2022 – to the Cowboys. Pittsburgh did sign 2021 second-round tight end Pat Freiermuth to a four-year extension last September, but Smith was the more productive player in 2024. He ranked fifth among all tight ends with 1.95 yards per route run, while Freiermuth’s 1.42 YPRR ranked 20th, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The Steelers’ lack of WR depth may encourage them to invest in another tight end, especially one who is so familiar with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
Arthur Smith was the Titans’ tight ends coach when they drafted Jonnu Smith in the third-round of the 2017 NFL Draft. The former FIU standout started 25 games across his first two years, largely as a blocker, but became a bigger part of the passing game once Arthur Smith took over as offensive coordinator in 2019. Jonnu Smith started 28 games over the next two years, catching 76 of his 109 targets for 887 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. That earned him a four-year, $50MM contract with the Patriots, while Arthur Smith was hired as the Falcons’ head coach.
An underwhelming two years in New England led to Jonnu Smith’s release during the 2023 offseason. He reunited with Arthur Smith on a two-year, $15MM deal in Atlanta, where he posted career-highs with 50 receptions and 582 receiving yards in 2023. Despite his performance, Jonnu Smith was released after the season, likely because of Arthur Smith’s firing. Now, the two could be on the verge of another reunion that would allow the veteran coach to use his trademark two tight end formations.
However, Jonnu Smith would prefer to remain in Miami with a revised contract, per Schefter. If the Dolphins are unwilling to commit to him past this season, the two sides could find a middle ground via an increased salary, some new guarantees, and/or additional incentives to raise Smith’s earning potential.