What we thought was going to be a quiet week in the dead summer NFL news cycle turned into a frenzy of emotions. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins agreed to terms on the blockbuster trade of the offseason that saw Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith heading to Pittsburgh and Minkah Fitzpatrick going back to where his NFL journey started in Miami.
Instantly, football fans want to dissect the trade and determine a winner, especially when it includes a pair of three-time First-Team All-Pro players. These are the kinds of deals you typically only see in the NBA.
So who won the Steelers-Dolphins trade?
While we have to wait and see how this blockbuster deal will ultimately unfold, there is one clear winner on paper, based on the compensation given up and the potential they are getting in return.
The Pittsburgh Steelers fleeced the Miami Dolphins in the Jalen Ramsey-Minkah Fitzpatrick trade
If this trade had been Jalen Ramsey for Minkah Fitzpatrick straight up, the Pittsburgh Steelers would have easily won the trade. Ramsey is still an excellent cornerback who can play anywhere in the secondary, and quite frankly, cornerbacks hold significantly more value than safeties in today's NFL.
But once you consider that the Dolphins were willing to throw Pro Bowl tight end Jonnu Smith into the deal, it's even easier to see that the Steelers won this trade. Smith is coming off the best season of his career after earning 88 receptions for 884 yards and eight touchdowns last season. He was the lone Pro Bowler on Miami's 2024 roster, and he earned the fifth-highest grade among NFL tight ends last year, per PFF.
The earth-shattering trade included a late-round pick swap, with the Dolphins getting a fifth-round pick in 2027 from the Steelers and Pittsburgh receiving a seventh-round 2027 draft pick from Miami. Though the Dolphins moved up in the 2027 NFL Draft, it doesn't make up for the losses of Ramsey and Smith.
Quite honestly, Miami looks like a team that simply wanted to unload a few veteran players to save a quick buck. Meanwhile, the Steelers were able to dump Fitzpatrick's egregiously expensive contract for players who should make a greater impact right away. Minkah has gone quiet in the secondary since the 2022 season, recording just one interception over the past two seasons.
This blockbuster trade is everything the Pittsburgh Steelers could have asked for and more. They bolstered their roster with two quality starters, got themselves out of a bad Minkah Fitzpatrick contract, and still managed to hold onto their valuable draft picks in 2026. This team was the clear winner of the trade.