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Jonnu Smith

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Jonnu Smith
refer to caption
Smith with the Tennessee Titans in 2019
No. 81 – Pittsburgh Steelers
Position:Tight end
Personal information
Born: (1995-08-22) August 22, 1995 (age 29)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:248 lb (112 kg)
Career information
High school:West Port (Ocala, Florida)
College:FIU (2013–2016)
NFL draft:2017: 3rd round, 100th pick
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 18, 2024
Receptions:307
Receiving yards:3,307
Total touchdowns:28
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Jonnu Andre Smith (born August 22, 1995) is an American professional football tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the FIU Panthers and was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft. After four seasons with the Titans, Smith joined the New England Patriots in 2021. He was later traded to the Atlanta Falcons in 2023 before signing with the Miami Dolphins in 2024.

Early life

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Smith was raised in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by his parents, Wayne and Karen Smith. He is the youngest of six children. When Smith was born, Karen was pressured by nurses to name him immediately, in accordance with hospital policies. After praying, she came up with the name Jonnu. Smith began playing Pop Warner football at age five.[1]

Smith endured many challenges as a youngster in Philadelphia. After his brother was arrested and one of his friends was killed on the streets, his family did not have the financial means to uproot. For his own safety, Smith moved in with his maternal aunt and uncle in Ocala, Florida. He started playing high school football at West Port High School, and even though Smith was far from a touted recruit, he earned a scholarship to Florida International.[2]

College career

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Smith played college football at Florida International University, where he majored in liberal studies. As a freshman in 2013, Smith played 12 games and finished with 39 receptions for 388 yards and two touchdowns.[3] As a sophomore in 2014, Smith played 12 games and had 61 receptions for 710 yards and eight touchdowns.[4] As a junior in 2015, he played in eight games and finished with 36 receptions for 397 yards and four touchdowns.[5] As a senior in 2016, Smith played 11 games and recorded 42 receptions for 506 yards and four touchdowns.[6]

Smith was invited to play in the 2017 Senior Bowl, but was overshadowed by other tight ends who were considered first and second round picks.[7]

College statistics

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Season GP Rec Yds Avg TD
2013 12 39 388 9.9 2
2014 12 61 710 11.6 8
2015 8 36 397 11.0 4
2016 11 42 506 12.0 4
Career 43 178 2,001 11.2 18

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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Smith was one of 19 tight ends who received an invitation to attend the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana.[8] He had an impressive performance and finished in the top five among tight ends in most of the drills. Smith placed second in the vertical jump and short shuttle, tied for third in the bench press, fourth in the broad jump, and finished sixth in the 40-yard dash in his position group.[9] On March 29, 2017, Smith opted to participate at FIU's pro day, along with Dieugot Joseph and ten other teammates. He performed the three-cone drill and positional drills for scouts and team representatives from 29 NFL teams and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League.[10] Throughout the pre-draft process, Smith had private workouts and visits with Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins, and Minnesota Vikings.[11] At the end of the pre-draft process, Smith was projected to be a fourth or fifth round pick by NFL draft experts and analysts. He was ranked the tenth best tight end in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com and was ranked the 12th best tight end by NFL analyst Gil Brandt.[12][13]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 2+5⁄8 in
(1.90 m) 		248 lb
(112 kg) 		32+7⁄8 in
(0.84 m) 		9+1⁄4 in
(0.23 m)		 4.62 s 1.64 s 2.71 s 4.18 s 7.43 s 38 in
(0.97 m)		 10 ft 7 in
(3.23 m)		 22 reps
All values from NFL Combine[14]

Tennessee Titans

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2017 season

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The Titans selected Smith in the third round with the 100th overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft,[15][16] the sixth tight end selected. He was the seventh player selected in FIU's school history and third-highest selection in school history.[17] The Titans selected Smith to fill a void in their two tight end sets after Anthony Fasano departed for the Dolphins in free agency.[18]

On May 17, 2017, the Titans signed Smith to a four-year, $3.10 million contract that included a signing bonus of $706,288.[19]

Throughout training camp, Smith competed against veterans Jace Amaro and Phillip Supernaw to be the Titans' second tight end behind veteran Delanie Walker.[20]

Smith made his NFL debut starting in the season-opening 26–16 loss to the Oakland Raiders.[21] In the next game, he recorded two receptions for 30 yards and scored his first NFL touchdown on a 32-yard screen pass from Marcus Mariota during the fourth quarter of a 37–16 road victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The following week against the Seattle Seahawks, Smith caught a 24-yard touchdown in the third quarter of the 33–27 victory. During Week 5 against the Dolphins, he caught a season-high five passes for 21 yards in the 16–10 road loss.[22]

Smith finished his rookie year with 18 receptions for 157 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games and 13 starts.[23] The Titans finished second in the AFC South with a 9–7 record and made the playoffs as a Wild Card team.[24][25] During the Wild Card Round, the Titans played the Kansas City Chiefs. Smith finished the narrow 22–21 road victory with two receptions for 15 yards.[26] In the Divisional Round against the New England Patriots, he had a four-yard reception before suffering a torn MCL during the 35–14 road loss.[27]

2018 season

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Smith in 2018

Smith was named the Titans' top tight end on the depth chart after starter Delanie Walker suffered a dislocated ankle during the season-opening 27–20 road loss to the Dolphins.[28] Smith initially struggled filling Walker's shoes, but he caught his first touchdown of the season on a shovel pass from Mariota during Week 9 against the Dallas Cowboys in a 28–14 road victory.[29] In the next game against the Patriots, Smith caught four passes for 45 yards and a touchdown in the 34–10 victory. Two weeks later, he caught a 61-yard touchdown pass as the Titans lost to the Houston Texans on the road by a score of 34–17.[30] However, during a 30–9 victory against the Jaguars in Week 14, Smith suffered a season-ending MCL injury.[31][32]

Smith finished his second professional season with 20 receptions for 258 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games and 12 starts.[33] Without Smith, the Titans finished with a 9–7 record and narrowly missed out on the playoffs.[34]

2019 season

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Smith catching a touchdown pass in the AFC Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Baltimore Ravens

Smith returned from his injury in time for the Titans' season opener against the Cleveland Browns. He recorded one reception for seven yards and a 10-yard rush in the 43–13 road victory.[35] During a Week 5 14–7 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Smith caught a 57-yard reception.[36] Two weeks later against the Los Angeles Chargers, he had three receptions for 64 yards as the Titans won 23–20.[37] In the next game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he caught six passes for 78 yards and his first touchdown of the season from Ryan Tannehill. During Week 14 against the Raiders, Smith recorded three receptions for 29 yards and a touchdown in the 42–21 road victory.[38] In the next game against the Texans, he had five receptions for 60 yards and had a 57-yard rush in the 24–21 loss.[39] Smith continued his momentum the next game against the Saints, catching three passes for 63 yards and a touchdown as the Titans lost 38–28.[40]

Smith finished the 2019 season setting career-highs in receptions with 35 and receiving yards with 439 along with tying a career-high in touchdowns with three while also rushing four times for 78 yards in 16 games and 14 starts.[41] The Titans finished second in the AFC South with a 9–7 record and made the playoffs as a Wild Card team. In the Divisional Round against the Ravens, Smith caught a one-handed touchdown during the first quarter of the 28–12 road victory.[42]

2020 season

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After recording a receiving touchdown in Week 1 in a 16–14 victory over the Denver Broncos, Smith had four receptions for 84 yards and two touchdowns in a 33–30 victory over the Jaguars in Week 2.[43][44] Three weeks later against the Bills on Tuesday Night Football, Smith recorded five receptions for 40 yards and two touchdowns in the 42–16 win.[45] In Week 10, against the Indianapolis Colts, he scored his first professional rushing touchdown in the 34–17 loss.[46] Smith finished the 2020 season setting career-highs in receptions with 41, receiving yards with 448, and receiving touchdowns with eight touchdowns in 15 games and 14 starts.[47]

New England Patriots

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On March 19, 2021, the New England Patriots signed Smith to a four-year, $50 million deal.[48][49] He finished the 2021 season with 28 catches for 294 yards and a touchdown.[50]

Smith entered the 2022 season as the No. 2 tight end behind Hunter Henry. He finished the season with 27 catches for 245 yards.[51]

Atlanta Falcons

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On March 15, 2023, Smith was traded to the Falcons in exchange for a 2023 seventh-round draft pick.[52] He had five receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown against the Vikings in Week 9.[53] Smith finished the season with a career-high 50 catches for 582 yards and three touchdowns.[54]

On February 27, 2024, Smith was released by the Falcons.[55]

Miami Dolphins

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On March 8, 2024, Smith signed a two-year contract with the Miami Dolphins.[56] He had six receptions for 101 yards and two touchdowns in a 34–19 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 11.[57] Smith had 10 receptions for 113 yards in a loss to the Packers in Week 13.[58] He scored one touchdown in four of the final five games of the regular season.

Smith finished the 2024 season with 88 receptions for 884 yards and eight touchdowns.[59]

Pittsburgh Steelers

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On June 30, 2025, Smith, along with Jalen Ramsey and a 2027 seventh-round pick, was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.[60][61] The trade reunited Smith for the second time with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who was previously Smith's tight end coach and offensive coordinator in his four seasons at Tennessee and his head coach in his lone season at Atlanta.[62]

NFL career statistics

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Regular season

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Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2017 TEN 16 13 18 157 8.7 32 2 0 — — — — 0 —
2018 TEN 13 12 20 258 12.9 61 3 0 — — — — 1 0
2019 TEN 16 14 35 439 12.5 57 3 4 78 19.5 57 0 0 —
2020 TEN 15 14 41 448 10.9 63 8 2 4 2.0 3 1 0 —
2021 NE 16 11 28 294 10.5 28 1 9 40 4.4 9 0 1 0
2022 NE 14 8 27 245 9.1 53 0 1 5 5.0 5 0 1 0
2023 ATL 17 6 50 582 11.6 60 3 1 0 0.0 0 0 1 1
2024 MIA 17 6 88 884 10.0 57 8 2 -1 -0.5 0 0 2 1
Career 124 84 307 3,307 10.8 63 28 19 126 6.6 57 1 6 2

Postseason

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Year Team Games Receiving
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
2017 TEN 2 1 3 19 6.3 10 0
2019 TEN 3 3 6 59 9.8 22 1
2020 TEN 1 1 2 9 4.5 5 0
2021 NE 1 1 0 0 0.0 0 0
Career 7 6 11 87 7.9 22 1

Personal life

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Smith is a Christian. Smith has said, “[Faith is] the foundation of everything I do, and I am so thankful for the way I was raised because I lean on the things I learned as a kid today as a grown man. ... I am a man of faith, and I am a man of God and I truly believe that everything is ordained for a purpose.”[63]

Smith's best friend, Willie “Quasim” Jefferson, died from a gunshot in October 2016. Smith gave his son Jaiyen the middle name Quasim in honor of Jefferson. Smith competed in weightlifting, finishing second in the county in the 219-pound weight class.

Smith credits his mother, Karen, for his successes. When Smith was four his father Wayne died in a work-related tow truck accident at age 40. As a result, Karen raised all six children all by herself. "My mother is my rock," said Smith. "It was tough, but we always got what we needed—not necessarily what we wanted all the time—but what we needed. She was so strong all the time."[64]

On October 31, 2016, Smith was involved in an altercation with his girlfriend, Mary Gaspar, who was five months pregnant with their child. The argument took place in their campus dorm room, where Gaspar used a kitchen pot and poured boiling hot water onto Smith. Smith suffered burns, and was ruled out for the rest of his senior year. Gaspar was arrested for aggravated battery, and entered a not guilty plea.[65][66][67] The charges against her were dropped the following year after delivering their child.[68]

References

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  1. ^ Villa, Walter (August 5, 2016). "It's no secret that FIU's Jonnu Smith has the talent to play in the NFL". miamiherald.com. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  2. ^ "Jonnu Smith". TitansOnline.com. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  3. ^ "Jonnu Smith 2013 Game Log". Sports Reference. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  4. ^ "Jonnu Smith 2014 Game Log". Sports Reference. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  5. ^ "Jonnu Smith 2015 Game Log". Sports Reference. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  6. ^ "Jonnu Smith 2016 Game Log". Sports Reference. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  7. ^ Stephenson, Creg (January 26, 2017). "Senior Bowl 2017: 'Loaded' tight end group could be packed with future NFL standouts". AL.com. Retrieved December 18, 2017.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ Patsko, Scott (February 27, 2017). "NFL Combine 2017: Complete list of invited players". Cleveland.com. Retrieved December 18, 2017.[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ Harry Lyles (March 5, 2017). "NFL Combine results 2017: Full tight end numbers". SBnation.com. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  10. ^ "FIU Pro Day 2017". fiusports.com. March 29, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
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  12. ^ "Jonnu Smith, DS #10 TE, Florida International". nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
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  14. ^ "NFL Draft Profile: Jonnu Smith". NFL.com. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  15. ^ "2017 NFL Draft Listing". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
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  29. ^ Thompson, Chris (November 5, 2018). "Titans Trouble My Brain With Amazing Sleight of Hand Touchdown". Deadspin.com. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  30. ^ Froyd, Crissy (November 26, 2018). "Titans Highlights: Jonnu Smith comes up with 61-yard touchdown". TitansWire.com. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
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  32. ^ Wyatt, Jim (December 11, 2018). "Titans Place TE Jonnu Smith, RT Jack Conklin on Injured Reserve; Team Adds TE Wick, OL Pasztor to 53-Man Roster". TitansOnline.com. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
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  34. ^ "2018 Tennessee Titans Statistics & Players". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
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  40. ^ "New Orleans Saints at Tennessee Titans – December 22nd, 2019". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
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  43. ^ "Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos – September 14th, 2020". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
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  46. ^ "Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans – November 12th, 2020". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  47. ^ "Jonnu Smith 2020 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  48. ^ Patra, Kevin (March 15, 2021). "Jonnu Smith agrees to four-year, $50M contract with New England Patriots". NFL.com. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  49. ^ "Patriots Sign TE Jonnu Smith". Patriots.com. March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  50. ^ "Jonnu Smith 2021 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  51. ^ "Jonnu Smith 2022 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  52. ^ McElhaney, Tori (March 15, 2023). "Falcons acquire tight end Jonnu Smith in Patriots trade". AtlantaFalcons.com.
  53. ^ "Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons - November 5th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
  54. ^ "Jonnu Smith 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
  55. ^ Waack, Terrin (February 27, 2024). "Falcons release tight end Jonnu Smith". AtlantaFalcons.com. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
  56. ^ "Miami Dolphins Sign Jonnu Smith". MiamiDolphins.com. March 8, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
  57. ^ "Las Vegas Raiders at Miami Dolphins - November 17th, 2024". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
  58. ^ "Miami Dolphins at Green Bay Packers - November 28th, 2024". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
  59. ^ "Jonnu Smith 2024 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
  60. ^ "Dolphins make trade with Pittsburgh". MiamiDolphins.com. June 30, 2025. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  61. ^ Varley, Teresa (June 30, 2025). "Steelers agree to acquire Ramsey, Smith". steelers.com. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  62. ^ Farabaugh, Nick (June 30, 2025). "Pittsburgh Steelers land big weapon with Arthur Smith ties in Jalen Ramsey trade". PennLive.com. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  63. ^ Mercer, Kevin (November 22, 2019). "Tennessee Titans tight end Jonnu Smith leans on faith in good times and bad". Sports Spectrum. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  64. ^ "Jonnu Smith". TitansOnline.com. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  65. ^ Neal, David (November 10, 2016). "She wanted more attention from a top football player. So out came boiling water". The Miami Herald. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  66. ^ Schilken, Chuck (November 11, 2016). "NFL prospect Jonnu Smith's college career ends after girlfriend allegedly poured boiling water on him". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  67. ^ "FIU TE Jonnu Smith out for year after girlfriend burned him with boiling water". USA Today. November 10, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  68. ^ Neal, David J. (August 29, 2017). "She poured boiling water on her child's NFL-bound father. She won't be prosecuted". Miami Herald. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
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