The Miami Dolphins have traded three-time All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for three-time All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and a pick swap, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.
As part of the trade, the Dolphins are sending a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Steelers and will receive a 2027 fifth-round pick back from Pittsburgh.
Ramsey will get a $1.5 million raise this season, bringing his 2025 compensation up to $26.6 million, sources told Schefter. Smith will receive a one-year contract extension worth $12 million, agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey told Schefter.
Ramsey, 30, confirmed he was headed to Pittsburgh, posting to X, “Break my own news! #HereWeGo @steelers.”
Break my own news! 🤟🏾 #HereWeGo @steelers pic.twitter.com/vnwJLZBDpM
— Jalen Ramsey (@jalenramsey) June 30, 2025
Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick heads back to Miami, where he began his career after the Dolphins selected him 11th overall in the 2018 draft. The Dolphins traded him to the Steelers in 2019 as he grew unhappy with his role on the team after then-coach Brian Flores moved him from safety to nickelback.
Ramsey, who has 24 interceptions in his career, joins a loaded cornerback group with the Steelers, who signed Darius Slay Jr. in free agency earlier this offseason and also have incumbent starter Joey Porter Jr.
Without Fitzpatrick, DeShon Elliott, who signed a two-year extension this offseason, is the most veteran safety at the position for Pittsburgh, but Ramsey, a cornerback throughout his nine-year NFL career, could transition to safety. The Steelers also signed free safety Juan Thornhill, a former Kansas City Chiefs second-round pick, in free agency.
The Dolphins indicated in April that they were trying to trade Ramsey, whom the team had acquired from the Los Angeles Rams in 2023. Ramsey signed a three-year, $55 million restructured extension upon his arrival to Miami and was named to the Pro Bowl that season despite missing seven games, and signed a three-year, $72.3 million extension shortly before the start of the 2024 season. He was credited with 11 pass breakups last season but recorded only two interceptions — his lowest total since 2020.
Fitzpatrick, 28, was productive after being acquired by the Steelers in 2019, nabbing five interceptions in 14 games with his new team. He had multiple interceptions in each of the next three seasons, including a career-high six in 2022. But he hit a slump in 2023 and didn’t record a single pick as he battled injuries throughout that season. He finally ended the drought with a pick in the Week 16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens last season, snapping a 25-game streak without an interception. Fitzpatrick has 20 interceptions in his career.
Smith, 29, set franchise records for receptions (88) and receiving yards (884) by a tight end last season en route to his first Pro Bowl selection. He led all Dolphins players in receptions in his first year with the team and finished behind only Brock Bowers, Trey McBride and George Kittle leaguewide in receiving yards by a tight end.
The Steelers’ interest in Smith is rooted in offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s longstanding relationship with the tight end. Arthur Smith was Jonnu Smith’s tight ends coach and offensive coordinator in Tennessee, and Arthur Smith later traded for his former player during his stint as the Falcons‘ head coach.
In adding Ramsey and Smith, the Steelers continued to break from their own precedent this offseason. Typically quiet on the trade market and in free agency, the Steelers’ trade for the Dolphins duo is the latest in a series of high-profile moves following the signing of quarterback Aaron Rodgers and trade for wide receiver DK Metcalf. The Steelers also shipped off former No. 1 receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys and signed Slay, a six-time Pro Bowler and 2017 All-Pro.
Ramsey becomes the fourth Dolphins captain from last season to exit the squad, joining Terron Armstead (retired), Calais Campbell (Cardinals) and David Long Jr. (released).
Acquiring Fitzpatrick is a major step for a Dolphins team looking to replace its entire starting secondary from a season ago. Miami released cornerback Kendall Fuller after one season and allowed safeties Jevon Holland and Jordan Poyer to leave in free agency. It signed safeties Ifeatu Melifonwu and Ashtyn Davis and cornerback Artie Burns, before drafting safety Dante Trader Jr. and cornerback Jason Marshall Jr., but a clear starter at either position had yet to emerge following the team’s OTAs and minicamp. Fitzpatrick should man one of the starting safety positions, while the team explores the veteran free agent market at cornerback.
Trading away Smith, who skipped Miami’s offseason practices in pursuit of a new contract, leaves the Dolphins without a primary pass-catching tight end. Remaining in their tight ends room are blocking tight ends Julian Hill and Pharaoh Brown, and former undrafted free agents Tanner Conner, Hayden Rucci and Jalin Conyers.
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor and Marcel Louis-Jacques contributed to this report.
