PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers released veteran tight end Jonnu Smith today, officially ending a brief and frustrating one-year experiment. The move dumps Smith’s $10.9 million cap hit, carving out an immediate $7 million in cap space just days before the 2026 NFL league year kicks off on March 11. Coming off a dismal 2025 campaign where he posted just 222 receiving yards, the 30-year-old tight end became the first major casualty of new head coach Mike McCarthy’s offensive overhaul.
Expectations hit the roof when Smith arrived in Pittsburgh last offseason. He landed with the black and gold via a massive, league-shaking trade that shipped star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins and brought Smith and cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Steel City. The front office immediately handed him a one-year, $12 million extension, banking heavily on the production that earned him a Pro Bowl nod in Miami with 884 yards and eight touchdowns in 2024.
Those numbers simply never materialized on the grass at Acrisure Stadium. The offense sputtered under former coordinator Arthur Smith. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers struggled to find a consistent rhythm with the veteran tight end, resulting in Smith snagging only 38 catches for two scores. You could feel the chill in the air by late November; fans paid to see explosive plays, but instead watched a congested tight end room misfire week after week.
Pat Freiermuth took the biggest hit from Smith’s arrival. The young star saw his snap count plummet to just 51 percent last season—the lowest since he entered the league. His production dropped from 653 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024 to just 486 yards and four scores in 2025, frustrating a fanbase that watched the front office hand him a four-year, $48.4 million extension just months prior.
McCarthy’s arrival shifts the power dynamics entirely back to the Penn State product. The coaching staff plans to feature Freiermuth heavily, relying on his route-running precision to sustain drives rather than forcing an awkward timeshare. Cutting Smith eliminates the split in reps and clears the runway for Freiermuth to dominate the target share.
“It’s a tough business. We all know the math when March rolls around. Jonnu brought real fight to our room, but we know this offense is turning a new page right now.”
— Pat Freiermuth, Steelers Tight End
The Steelers now sit on a much healthier pile of cash as they prepare for the free agency frenzy starting next Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET. Freeing up $7 million gives general manager Omar Khan the ammunition to aggressively address glaring holes on the offensive line and in the secondary. The release also puts Smith back on the open market. He hits free agency as a 30-year-old looking for his sixth NFL team, with rumors already linking him to a reunion with Mike McDaniel’s staff out in Los Angeles.
