The Miami Dolphins just gifted the Pittsburgh Steelers one of the most underrated offensive weapons in the league by trading away tight end Jonnu Smith, who is a favorite of Steelers OC Arthur Smith. Smith ranked 4th among all NFL tight ends last year with over 800 receiving yards and was tied for second among all NFL tight ends with 8 receiving touchdowns.
Oh, and he was also entering the second year of a two-year, $8.4 million deal, so his contract was team-friendly.
The decision to trade Smith was a curious one by the Dolphins, but as bad as that move looks for them on paper, it's clear that they were willing to be embarrassed with the follow-up move.
Dolphins make shocking trade to bring TE Darren Waller out of retirement
Apparently, the rap career wasn't working out super well for Darren Waller, because the Dolphins are bringing him out of retirement, and they had to trade to acquire him. After last playing in 2023 with the New York Giants, Waller is now headed to the Dolphins along with a 2027 7th-round pick in exchange for a 6th-round pick from the Dolphins in 2026.
Surprise! The #Dolphins are finalizing a trade with the #Giants for former Pro Bowl TE Darren Waller, who is coming out of retirement to play in Miami, per sources.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 1, 2025
A fascinating twist for Waller, who retired last summer, and a new weapon for a team that just traded Jonnu Smith. pic.twitter.com/MDO2XnHClb
Waller is still only 32 years old, but how productive will he be after a year away from football?
The Dolphins are banking on him returning to peak form. And to be fair to Waller, he caught 52 passes for 552 yards in his lone year with the New York Giants, where there were undoubtedly quarterback issues.
The connection for Waller with the Dolphins is offensive coordinator Frank Smith, who was the tight ends coach with the Oakland Raiders during the prime years of Waller's career. That relationship equity definitely has to be a factor for the Dolphins bringing in Waller, who was extremely vocal about his displeasure with the role he was playing for the Giants when he decided he was going to retire.
This is a classic situation of "desperate times call for desperate measures" and Waller is the desperate measure the Dolphins are taking. The personalities of Mike McDaniel, Tyreek Hill, and Darren Waller alone would make this Dolphins team must-see TV every single week.
What could possibly go wrong?
The Dolphins traded away a guy who was a top-five tight end in the NFL last season and replaced him with a guy who just quit the game to pursue a rap career, and has been known for off-field issues throughout the course of his career.
Now you're throwing him in a high-pressure situation, in Miami of all places.
It's one of the boldest moves of a wild NFL offseason so far, and it could very well be one of the most embarrassing when all is said and done.