The Pittsburgh Steelers acquired Jalen Ramsey from the Miami Dolphins on Monday in a blockbuster trade, sending Minkah Fitzpatrick and a draft pick to the fellow AFC franchise in exchange for the All-Pro cornerback and tight end Jonnu Smith.
This ends a deteriorating relationship between Ramsey and the Dolphins, who announced a mutual agreement to part ways earlier this spring. Miami spent months searching for a trade partner willing to take on Ramsey’s salary with personnel value in return. ESPN’s Adam Schefer reports that Ramsey will get a $1.5 million raise in Pittsburgh, bringing his 2025-26 salary to $26.6 million.
Few teams improved their roster as much as Pittsburgh this offseason as Ramsey becomes the latest proven veteran to enter the Steelers’ projected starting lineup. Ramsey skipped all of the Dolphins’ mandatory minicamp in light of trade discussions and was under contract through 2028 after his recent extension made him the NFL‘s highest-paid cornerback.
Here’s some of the immediate reaction following the move, including Ramsey’s social media activity and some of the national outlook.
Ramsey “broke” his own trade with a prepared video montage of Steelers highlights. This move appears to have been in the works for several days and Ramsey’s team was more than ready for the announcement. He’ll try and help a storied franchise in search of its first playoff victory in eight seasons.
Both teams seemingly feel they improved their rosters with this move. Miami dumps a star it no longer wanted while picking up a three-time All-Pro defensive back in return — who the franchise is extremely familiar with already.
The Steelers made quite the investment in their roster this offseason after failing to impress during the 2024 campaign.
There are other big-name players included in this two-team deal as the Steelers grabbed another premiere tight end option while moving Fitzpatrick back to Miami.
Tyreek Hill reacted to Ramsey leaving Miami soon after news broke.
The AFC North is now undoubtedly cooking with gas judging by the number of prolific quarterbacks, wideouts and defensive stars now headlining the division.
Yes, Pittsburgh is heavy on veterans this offseason with the intention to be in “win-now” mode.
We’ll see these two franchises meet in December in prime-time. Surely, there’s no hostility between Ramsey and his former team, right? Based on where this is at on the schedule, it could have playoff implications, too.
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Author: Brad Crawford
June 30, 2025 | 12:50 pm
