The forgotten link in overlooked Steelers-Jonnu Smith trade is huge for Aaron Rodgers

The Pittsburgh Steelers hammered out one of the offseason's biggest trades on Monday, acquiring Jalen Ramsey, Jonnu Smith and a seventh-round pick from the Miami Dolphins in exchange for Minkah Fitzpatrick and a fifth-round pick. Smith will tack on a one-year, $12 million extension with the Dolphins, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

To their credit, Pittsburgh's front office has been aggressive all summer. Pittsburgh has now added DK Metcalf, Aaron Rodgers, Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith in the span of a few months, with the blockbuster George Pickens deal thrown in for good measure. We can absolutely quibble with the exact choices Omar Khan has made in the GM chair, but he's making the effort to improve this roster.

The Smith part of this trade is severely underrated. Last season was the best of Smith's career, as he earned his first Pro Bowl nod with 884 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Now he reunites with a familiar face in Pittsburgh, which should pay massive dividends for Aaron Rodgers and this reformed Steelers offense.

Jonnu Smith and Arthur Smith reunite for third stint together in NFL

Jonnu Smith and Arthur Smith go way back. Arthur was the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans in 2019 and 2020, both career years for Jonnu at the time. Then as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, Arthur brought in Jonnu and revamped the Falcons tight end room, with Jonnu often outpacing top-four draft pick Kyle Pitts.

Now for the third time in their respective careers, the Smiths are back on the same team. It will be fascinating to see how the tight end pecking order unfurls, as Pittsburgh still has Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington on the roster. Smith was far and away the best performer of the bunch last season, but this is a different scheme. Jonnu Smith has never really operated as a top option under Arthur Smith before.

Odds are we will see a timeshare between Smith and Freiermuth, with Washington pushed aside. There's nothing Arthur Smith loves more than spreading the wealth, often to a fault.

Jonnu Smith, Arthur Smith partnership should make life easier for Aaron Rodgers

Either way, this should profoundly benefit Aaron Rodgers, who needs all the help he can get at this stage of his career. Rodgers has relied too heavily on his tight ends, but at 41 years old and very clearly on the decline, Pittsburgh's new quarterback needs as much help as he can get. Smith runs a varied route tree and gives Rodgers a tough, physical target, whether he's looking the move to chains at midfield or to thread the needle through traffic in the red zone.

While the George Pickens trade will be felt — he was, for all his faults, an extremely explosive athlete — Pittsburgh has done a nice job building out the offense around Rodgers. It's unclear how much the four-time MVP at quarterback actually has left in the tank, but he has a full complement of wide receivers, one of the best tight end rooms in football, and a new potential lodestar running back in Kaleb Johnson.

The built-in familiarity of Jonnu Smith and Arthur Smith is a huge plus, too. Rodgers is learning a new scheme. So are Metcalf and Johnson. The more players who can actually synthesize and translate Arthur Smith's playbook, the easier it will be for Rodgers, Metcalf and others to pick it up. We know Rodgers likes to pass it more than Arthur Smith does, generally speaking. If Smith is going to overhaul his own tendencies and lean more heavily on the passing game, it helps to have players he can trust. Jonnu Smith is a player he trusts.