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Steelers-Dolphins trade: Who won and lost as Jalen Ramsey, Minkah Fitzpatrick get moved?
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- Steelers-Dolphins trade: Who won and lost as Jalen Ramsey, Minkah Fitzpatrick get moved?
June is typically the quietest month on the NFL calendar – for whatever that's worth. But Monday offered further proof that America's favorite sports league never really goes dormant, the final day of the month coming with quite the exclamation point as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins executed a trade as notable as any that's occurred this offseason.
CB Jalen Ramsey and TE Jonnu Smith are headed to the Steel City, while FS Minkah Fitzpatrick returns to South Florida seven years after the Fins took him with the 11th selection of the 2018 draft. The teams also swapped Day 3 picks of the 2027 draft, Miami upgrading with a fifth-rounder in exchange for a pick in Round 7. The transaction becomes official once the players pass physicals.
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On a day when the winners and losers are usually reserved for Wimbledon , we've got quite a few more to sort through …
WINNERS
Jalen Ramsey
Not only did the three-time All-Pro engineer his departure from Miami, the Steelers also gave Ramsey a $1.5 million raise – he'll be paid $26.6 million in 2025, according to ESPN and the NFL Network. He jumps to a team seemingly in better position to contend as he heads into the 10th season of his exceptional pro career, and – as a defensive back – it certainly doesn't hurt to play behind a pass rush that includes T.J. Watt (presumably), Cam Heyward an Alex Highsmith , among others.
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TRADE GRADES: Report cards for Steelers, Dolphins following blockbuster
Aaron Rodgers and Arthur Smith
The Steelers' new quarterback and offensive coordinator, respectively, welcome another weapon with the arrival of Jonnu Smith. Whether it was his protection, body, age or scheme (and maybe all of the above), Rodgers spent much of last season getting the ball out quickly and throwing down the seams in the intermediate part of the field – which means Jonnu Smith could get a steady of diet balls. And he should hit the ground running given this will be his third stint playing for Arthur Smith, who also coached him in Tennessee and Atlanta and now has another component for his attack on whom he can rely.
Rodgers is also an important key to this acquisition in another way. By agreeing to a base salary of just $13.65 million for 2025, infinitesimal by NFL QB1 standards, he provided Pittsburgh with requisite cap room to take on the contracts of Ramsey and Jonnu Smith.
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Buffalo Bills
Unless you think the Dolphins have gone the addition-by-subraction route − I don't − the Bills' path to what would be a sixth straight AFC East crown was just smoothly repaved by Miami's side of the deal.
Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan
Much has been made of the fact that Tomlin, who's about to embark on his 19th season as Pittsburgh's head coach, has never suffered a losing season … nor has the man who took the Steelers to the Super Bowl twice in his first four years won a playoff game since the 2016 postseason. But you can't accuse him or Khan, entering his fourth season as general manager, of operating conservatively in recent months. Monday's deal follows the long-awaited signing of Rodgers and trade for WR DK Metcalf coupled with the departure of WR George Pickens earlier in the spring, among other moves. TBD whether a more aggressive approach translates into a deeper playoff run, but it does seem to indicate a shifting mindset for an organization that might wind up hosting a very eventful draft in 2026 – regardless of what happens in 2025, which is likely to be Rodgers' final ride.
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DK Metcalf
All due respect to Robert Woods , Calvin Austin III , Roman Wilson , Scotty Miller , Ben Skowronek and others, but Metcalf remains the only bona fide wideout threat on this roster – though it's still worth wondering if Khan makes a run at an unsigned veteran like Keenan Allen or Amari Cooper . Regardless, Smith instantly provides a genuine threat in the intermediate part of the field – one who will doubtless make opposing safeties think twice about shading Metcalf too closely on the boundary and should consequently create more opportunities for a player who averaged 121 targets during his six seasons with the Seattle Seahawks .
De'Von Achane
Speaking of target share, it's not immediately clear who gets the bulk of the 111 looks Smith had for Miami in 2024. Former Pro Bowl TE Darren Waller, who was acquired after coming out of retirement Tuesday, will certainly enter the mix. Regardless, Achane (his 78 receptions last season trailed only Smith and WR Tyreek Hill for the Dolphins), a running back whose speed is especially frightening when he has space to operate, figures to benefit. And given QB Tua Tagovailoa 's penchant to get the ball out quickly − per Next Gen Stats, his average time to throw, 2.42 seconds, was the fastest among qualifying quarterbacks in 2024 − Achane seems particularly likely to see more balls coming his way. And, for what it's worth, Achane may also have to run it more, too – out of necessity – though he does seem to be a guy who's more effective with less volume, his touches more than doubling to 281 in 2024, though his yards per fell by more than 2 yards.
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Jonnu Smith
Not only does he now team up with Rodgers while joining a scheme he's intimately familiar with, the veteran gets his contract extended through the 2026 season, during which he stands to make $12 million.
LOSERS
Jonnu Smith?
He's coming off a career year, his 88 catches for 884 yards and eight touchdowns last season at a Kelce-esque level and rendering Smith one of the most productive tight ends in the league. Yet as well as he should fit into Pittsburgh's offense, Smith is highly unlikely to approach those numbers again with this team (he never caught more than 50 passes in a season during his other hitches with Arthur Smith). But at least the Steelers have already handsomely rewarded Jonnu Smith, who signed a two-year, $8.4 million deal with Miami last year.
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Pat Freiermuth , Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward
As much as Arthur Smith fancies double- and triple-tight sets, Jonnu Smith's arrival is going to cut significantly into the playing time for Pittsburgh's other tight ends. Washington is mostly a glorified tackle, so his role and snap count may not change all that much. But Freiermuth's numbers seem like to suffer and Heyward, the younger brother of team captain Cam Heyward, could even find himself on the roster bubble.
Minkah Fitzpatrick
It's rare to see a Round 1 pick dealt midway through his second season, but Fitzpatrick wanted out of Miami in 2019 – he didn't feel like his abilities and role with the team aligned – yet now he's reunited with GM Chris Grier, who drafted him in the first place. The Dolphins certainly had a hole to fill in their lineup after losing S Jevon Holland in free agency this year, so Fitzpatrick helps from that standpoint. But he'll no longer get to leverage a Watt-led pass rush. And despite being a five-time Pro Bowler, including each of the past three seasons, Fitzpatrick hasn't been producing the big plays that forged his reputation years ago – generating just one turnover, total, since the start of the 2023 campaign.
DB Minkah Fitzpatrick (29) will return to the Dolphins six years after Miami traded him to Pittsburgh. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Tua Tagovailoa
Smith led Miami with those 88 receptions last season. Now, a quarterback who's eager to distribute the ball but is also prone to concussions , has lost his security blanket. Maybe this will make more sense down the line, but for now ...?
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Chris Grier and Mike McDaniel
Miami's GM and head coach, respectively, seem to have authored a transaction that doesn't exactly smack of "win now" – though it was clear they had to move on from Ramsey, who was ready to depart. And much as Steelers fans might be desperate for postseason success, the Dolphins haven't won a playoff game since 2000 − the longest drought in the league. Owner Stephen Ross gave his leadership a vote of confidence after last season's 8-9 finish but also said "(C)ontinuity in leadership is not to be confused with an acceptance that status quo is good enough. We will take a hard look at where we have fallen short and make the necessary changes to deliver our ultimate goal of building and sustaining a winning team that competes for championships."
Hard to see how this trade cools the other kind of Florida heat Grier and McDaniel, who have now lost four team captains this offseason, are trying to beat. And the reaction one of their former players, RB Raheem Mostert , had to the trade speaks (on some level) to how things could unfold …
Lamar Jackson , Joe Burrow , ( Shedeur Sanders? )
After the Baltimore Ravens recently signed CB Jaire Alexander , the AFC North now welcomes another elite corner with the arrival of Ramsey, a Pro Bowler in seven of his nine NFL seasons. It's certainly not the most welcome development for the division's high-profile quarterbacks.
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Darius Slay , Joey Porter Jr. and Beanie Bishop Jr.
It remains to be seen how Pittsburgh's lineup shakes out, specifically as to whether Ramsey, always a fantastic ball hawk, gets a look at free safety or not. But that seems unlikely given a trade of this magnitude – and especially so since the Steelers have experienced players like Miles Killebrew and Juan Thornhill available to step into Fitzpatrick's role. And if Ramsey does remain at corner, it begs the question of what happens to recently signed Slay and Porter, a second-round pick in 2023. All of them play predominantly on the outside, Ramsey's 185 snaps in the slot last season nearly double the total of Slay, who spent 2024 in Philadelphia , and Porter combined last year. But is a 30-year-old star going to live in the slot, which was typically manned by Bishop, an undrafted rookie in 2024? It's a very solid bet that Ramsey will operate however he's most comfortable in 2025, and then the others fall into place as circumstances dictate – which may or not benefit them from an individual perspective.
AFC contenders?
Are the Steelers suddenly a bona fide Super Bowl 60 threat ? That will likely be primarily dictated by whatever version of Rodgers they're getting . But adding Ramsey and Smith also undoubtedly makes a team that's qualified for postseason four of the past five seasons more formidable. And even if Pittsburgh doesn't complete its "Stairway to Seven" in 2025, the Steelers are starting to increasingly look like a team that could ambush one of the conference favorites – Kansas City, Buffalo, Baltimore – along the way while getting Tomlin that next playoff win he's been awaiting for nearly a decade.
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Los Angeles Rams
The presumed favorites to reacquire Ramsey's services – he played 3½ seasons in LA, starting in 2019, and was a key performer for the Super Bowl 56 champions in 2021 – a team that may have the best chance to dislodge the Eagles on the NFC side of the bracket in 2025 couldn't find a way to broker a reunion. Doesn't mean the defending NFC West titlists aren't still a clear and present danger to the reigning Super Bowl champions but sure seems like adding a familiar star like Ramsey would have nicely furthered the cause.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jalen Ramsey trade winners, losers: Steelers, Fitzpatrick, Dolphins
