The Latest Developments with Two Former Dolphins Players with Controversial Exits

Tight end Jonnu Smith had a very forgettable season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Jonnu Smith (81) warms up before the game against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field during the 2025 season. | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins have made some unpopular decisions in recent years involving players they decided to let go, and two prime examples are tight end Jonnu Smith and running back Chris Brooks.

Both made news Wednesday and saw their careers go in different directions when Brooks signed a contract extension with the Green Bay Packers, and word came out that the Pittsburgh Steelers were releasing Smith after just one season with the team.

Brooks has spent the past two seasons with the Packers after he was released by the Dolphins, while Smith was included in the trade last summer that sent cornerback Jalen Ramsey to Pittsburgh and brought back 2018 Miami first-round pick Minkah Fitzpatrick.

SIZING UP SMITH

While trading Ramsey last offseason became inevitable because of his issues with the team, including Smith in the deal didn't go over well with some fans after the big numbers that Smith put up in 2024.

During that season, Smith set Dolphins single-season records for tight ends for receptions (88), receiving yards (884) and touchdown catches (8).

Smith became the Dolphins' only Pro Bowl representative when he made the AFC team as an alternate.

But Smith wanted to renegotiate his contract after that season, and the impact he made didn't justify the kind of money he wanted because, quite frankly, the numbers were more the result of Smith being the beneficiary of an offense that couldn't throw downfield very well and therefore went looking for the short completions.

Smith got his new deal with the Steelers, a one-year, $12 million extension that included a $7.8 million signing bonus, but cutting him now will save Pittsburgh his $7 million base salary for 2026 that wasn't guaranteed.

Smith now becomes a free agent, but the idea of a return to Miami, where he played his college ball (Florida International), doesn't seem terribly likely given his age (30) and where the Dolphins are as an organization.

THE BROOKS REGRET

Brooks, on the other hand, was somebody the Dolphins shouldn't have let go.

He was waived in August 2024, then joined the Packers' practice squad and was eventually promoted to the active roster.

The Dolphins ended up keeping four halfbacks in 2024, including rookie fourth-round pick Jaylen Wright, to join Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane. But the Dolphins also kept Jeff Wilson Jr., who was a solid veteran but wound up with basically no role as the fourth option and doesn't play special teams.

It says here the Dolphins, instead, should have kept Brooks, who was a young back with intriguing upside and the kind of physicality missing from the Miami running back corps at that time.

Since he's joined the Packers, Brooks has become a valuable rotational player at running back, and they signed him to a two-year contract extension before he became a restricted free agent next week — a clear indication of what they think of him.

Unlike Smith, this is one move the Dolphins would like to have back.