When the New England Patriots signed tight end Jonnu Smith ahead of the 2021 season, the expectation was that he’d be a key cog in their passing game.
Smith had displayed some flashes during his four-year run with the Tennessee Titans and boasted a nice amount of upside.
Fast forward roughly two calendar years, and Smith will be calling another NFL city home in 2023. According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the veteran tight end has been dealt to the Atlanta Falcons ahead of free agency. Rapoport notes that New England gets a mere seventh-round pick in exchange for Smith.
From Atlanta’s perspective, this trade is rather interesting in that the team already has a high-upside young tight end in Kyle Pitts who earned a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie back in 2021. Unfortunately, injuries and instability at the quarterback position impacted his productivity this past season.
Related: Sportsnaut’s updated NFL trade rumors
As for New England, it takes on a whopping $12.8 million dead cap hit by trading Jonnu Smith. The team saves $4.4 million against said cap with the deal.
There was some talk that the Patriots might move on from fellow tight end Hunter Henry this offseason, too. He was signed during the same NFL free agent period as Smith back in 2020. Instead, Bill Belichick and Co. have opted to pretty much give Smith away in a cost-cutting move.
- Jonnu Smith stats (2021-22): 55 receptions, 539 yards, 1 TD, 66.3% catch rate
As you can see, Smith didn’t do too much in two seasons with the New England Patriots. That’s especially true given that he was playing under a four-year, $50 million contract.
Though, he’s still seen as a pretty productive blocker. This could be seen as an asset for a Falcons team that’s likely rolling with young quarterback Desmond Ridder in 2023.