PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers will release veteran tight end Jonnu Smith ahead of the new league year, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday.
Releasing Smith, 30, will save the Steelers about $7 million in cap space. The new league year begins March 11 at 4 p.m. ET.
Smith, who arrived in Pittsburgh from the Miami Dolphins as part of the trade that also swapped Minkah Fitzpatrick and Jalen Ramsey last summer, had 222 receiving yards and two touchdowns in his lone season with the Steelers.
Before Pittsburgh, Smith spent a season each with the Dolphins and the Atlanta Falcons. He also played in New England for two years and for the Tennessee Titans for four seasons after being drafted by them in the third round of the 2017 draft. Smith was most productive in Miami when he put up a career-high 884 receiving yards in Mike McDaniel’s offense and scored eight touchdowns in his lone Pro Bowl season.
Smith’s addition to the Steelers’ tight end unit reduced the role of Pat Freiermuth, whom the Steelers signed to a four-year, $48.4 million extension in 2024. With Smith’s departure, the Steelers are seemingly signaling a renewed commitment to Freiermuth’s involvement in new coach Mike McCarthy’s offense.
Freiermuth had 486 receiving yards and four touchdowns last season after putting up 653 yards and seven touchdowns a year earlier. Freiermuth also played only 51% of offensive snaps in 2025, the lowest volume of his career since being selected by the Steelers in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft.
