NFL Rumors: Jonnu Smith, Dolphins in Contract Negotiations After Falcons Release

Jonnu Smith's next home may be in the AFC East.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the tight end visited the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday and is negotiating a contract with the team. This comes after the Atlanta Falcons announced they released Smith on Feb. 27 in a move that saved them $6.5 million towards the salary cap.

Smith played just one season in Atlanta after the Falcons acquired him from the New England Patriots for a seventh-round pick ahead of the 2023 campaign.

He ended up posting 50 catches for 582 yards and three touchdowns even though the Falcons also had Kyle Pitts at tight end. The catches and yardage totals were both career-high numbers for Smith, and he called it "one of the most memorable years during my career for many great reasons on and off the field" on social media after the Falcons released him:

Smith played the first four seasons of his career on the Tennessee Titans and the next two in New England prior to the trade.

His best season in that span came in 2020 when he tallied 41 catches for 448 yards and eight touchdowns for the Titans.

That Miami is the team meeting with Smith shortly after his release comes as no surprise. It could use a reliable tight end in its offense as it attempts to take the jump from playoff team to Super Bowl contender in 2024.

"It's no mystery the team could use a reliable pass-catching tight end to take pressure off the receiving tandem of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle," Dan Agnew of Yahoo Sports wrote when evaluating the Dolphins' needs heading into the offseason.

Smith would rarely, if ever, face double teams playing in an offense with Hill and Waddle, which could make him a significant red-zone threat in Miami if the two sides do come to terms on a new deal.