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Normally late June-early July is the NFL’s quiet period. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins wanted to spice things up a bit to wrap up June.
Veteran cornerback Jalen Ramsey was expected to be dealt by the Miami Dolphins and now his wish has been granted. The three-time All-Pro is heading for the Pittsburgh Steelers alongside tight end Jonnu Smith, while three-time All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is headed back to Miami. There are also 2027 pick swaps but I doubt anyone cares about that right now; we can revisit those picks in two years.
Full terms of Monday’s Steelers-Dolphins blockbuster:
Steelers get:CB Jalen RamseyTE Jonnu Smith2027 7th-round pick
Dolphins get:S Minkah Fitzpatrick2027 5th-round pick https://t.co/OvqRLfb2dr
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 30, 2025
The 30-year-old Ramsey is only a year into his three-year contract extension, which briefly made him the NFL’s highest paid cornerback. He’s set to get a raise that will bring his 2025 pay to north of $26 million, while Jonnu Smith gets a one-year extension worth $12 million after the Dolphins parted ways a year into a two-year deal.
The other story here is Minkah Fitzpatrick returning to the team that drafted him in the first round back in 2018. He requested a trade in his second season and was sent to the Steelers for 2020 first- and fifth-round picks, as well as a 2021 sixth-rounder. Miami also gave up 2020 fourth-rounder and a 2021 seventh-rounder. Given all of Fitzpatrick’s accolades in Pittsburgh, I’d say the move worked out. The 28-year-old has two years left on his four-year contract extension.
I can’t recall too many instances of a high-profile player getting traded back to his original team by the team that initially acquired him. Shoutout to ColdWunz on Twitter for reminding me about the famous Deion Branch trades between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.
Of course, this is all very relevant news to the Seattle Seahawks, who will get to see this new-look Steelers team in Pittsburgh in Week 2. Jalen Ramsey and DK Metcalf used to be NFC West rivals and now they’re Steelers teammates. Aaron Rodgers is Pittsburgh’s new starting QB after moving on from Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Darius Slay stayed in-state and moved from the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles to Pittsburgh. Oh yeah, and Najee Harris and George Pickens are elsewhere now. It’d sure be a shame if the Steelers had their hugely anticipated home opener ruined by an up-and-coming squad from the Pacific Northwest…
