Omar Kelly: Dolphins blockbuster trade proves 2025 season still matters

Omar Kelly, Miami Herald on Jul 1, 2025

Published in Football

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

MIAMI — If we needed proof of how, and more importantly why, Chris Grier and Mike McDaniel are still employed by the Miami Dolphins, it came on Monday morning, days — if not hours — before most of the NFL executives and coach go on vacation, focusing on their families and not football for two weeks.

Somehow, the Dolphins’ general manager and head coach found a way to turn two difficult situations into a playmaking safety, whose return gives Grier a chance to right one of his former wrongs.

Miami traded two of the team’s top players — cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith — to a Pittsburgh Steelers team that’s clearly taken an all-in approach to the 2025 season.

And in exchange for the pair of Pro Bowl talents, Miami got back Minkah Fitzpatrick, a 28-year-old elite safety, and a 2027 swap of a seventh-round pick for a fifth-round pick.

Coincidentally, six years ago Grier was forced to trade Fitzpatrick to the Steelers because of a feud the safety was having with then head coach Brian Flores.

Two games into the 2018 first-round pick’s second NFL season, Fitzpatrick wanted no part of the tanking Dolphins. He was unhappy with how he was being used by Flores, and demanded a trade through his agent.

This was the same safety Miami targeted in the 2018 draft, the one that featured a heated debate on what to do with the 11th overall pick that had to leave the draft room before Grier stepped in and put his foot down.

The Dolphins were taking Fitzpatrick, Grier told owner Steve Ross, then head coach Adam Gase and team czar Mike Tannenbaum.

It was Grier’s biggest showing of power and conviction the organization had ever seen. He was dictating what was going to happen in the draft, which was the one thing he was in charge of at that time, and everyone else had to fall in line.

Minkah was Grier’s pick!

Then Miami begrudgingly moved Fitzpatrick to Pittsburgh for the 18th pick in the 2019 draft because he got fed up with Miami, and the Dolphins. Now it seems Grier has a chance to right a former wrong, and got back his guy.

But the price was steep.

Miami will take a $18.5 million cap hit over the next two years for unloading Ramsey, who sources say wasn’t on speaking terms with McDaniel.

The Dolphins got tired of walking on eggshells around the seven-time Pro Bowl cornerback, and had been working to move him for nearly two months.

Some in the NFL felt Miami was going to have to keep Ramsey because of how complicated his contract, and personality is.

Now that’s Pittsburgh’s problem.

And so is Smith’s demands that the former Florida International standout cash in on the record-setting season he delivered in 2024, setting franchise record for receptions, yards produced, and touchdowns scored by a Dolphins tight end.

“That’s my guy,” Tua Tagovailoa said when asked about Smith, who became one of his favorite targets in 2024.

Tagovailoa clearly didn’t want him traded, but more than anyone else on the team, Tagovailoa’s aware the NFL’s a business, and the Steelers reportedly tripled what Smith was supposed to be paid by Miami, raising Smith’s salary to $12 million for season.

Fortunately for Tagovailoa, the Dolphins acquired one of his old guys in Fitzpatrick, whom he was close to during their time together at the University of Alabama.

Not only should the Dolphins benefit from Fitzpatrick’s play, but he’d developed into a leader with the Steelers, one of the organizations that has the best culture in football.

Now Fitzpatrick can partner with Tagovailoa, and other veterans, helping the Dolphins change the troublesome culture he once ran from.

That’s been McDaniel and his staff’s biggest challenge all offseason.

If the Dolphins had unloaded Ramsey and Smith for just future draft picks it would have sent the locker room a horrible message, one that likely stressed today — the 2025 season — doesn’t matter. Not like it matters to the Steelers.

But the acquisition of Fitzpatrick, a respected playmaker who has pulled down 20 interceptions, forced and recovered 10 fumbles in his seven seasons, proves that nobody’s waving the white flag, giving up on 2025.

After all, Grier and McDaniel are still fighting for their jobs, and Monday’s trade proves they’ve seemingly got each other’s back, which is a great start, and a welcomed change to how the Dolphins have usually done business in these critical seasons.

____