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The New England Patriots are trading tight end Jonnu Smith to the Atlanta Falcons for a seventh-round pick, per Ian Rapoport. If the deal gets done, the Patriots will save $4,418,529 in cap space and carry $12,810,000 in dead money. Smith is owed $10 million in base salary and $1 million in roster bonus money in 2023, and $11 million in base salary and $1 million in roster bonus money in 2024.
Smith joined the Patriots in 2021 when he signed a four-year, $50 million deal. In 2021, he caught 28 passes for 294 yards and a touchdown. In 2022, he caught 27 passes for 245 yards and no scores.
Notably, Smith has extensive history with Falcons head coach Arthur Smith. Arthur served as the Titans tight end coach from 2016 to 2018 and Jonnu joined the team in 2017. Jonnu has been an under-performer to date though. He joins a Falcons squad that has Kyle Pitts at tight end. Of course, Pitts is a much more versatile weapon than just a tight end, so this would be a broader move toward some position-less football for the Falcons.