Packers Sign Jonnu Smith to One-Year Deal, Fill Tight End Depth Behind Kraft
The veteran proves-it contract gives Jordan Love another red-zone target and telegraphs Green Bay's reluctance to commit guaranteed years at the position.
Published August 27, 2026Source DeadspinFrom the chopped neck
Packers Sign Jonnu Smith to One-Year Deal, Fill Tight End Depth Behind Kraft
The veteran proves-it contract gives Jordan Love another red-zone target and telegraphs Green Bay's reluctance to commit guaranteed years at the position.
The Green Bay Packers signed tight end Jonnu Smith to a one-year contract Thursday, adding a former Pro Bowler to a depth chart anchored by second-year starter Tucker Kraft. Terms were not disclosed. Smith, 29, posted 41 receptions for 418 yards and 4 touchdowns with the Miami Dolphins last season, his fifth NFL stop.
Green Bay entered the offseason with Kraft as the clear TE1 after his 67 catches and 671 yards in 2024, but little proven depth behind him. Smith played under coach Matt LaFleur during the latter's tenure as Tennessee offensive coordinator from 2018 through 2019, when Smith recorded 35 catches and 439 yards as a second-year player. The familiarity matters: LaFleur has cycled tight ends in and out of 12 personnel since arriving in Green Bay, and Smith already knows the verbiage and the hand signals.
The one-year structure is the tell. Smith signed a four-year, $50 million deal with New England in 2021—$31.25 million guaranteed—then posted 28 receptions in his first season and was traded to Atlanta midway through 2022. He has played on three teams in three years since leaving Tennessee. Green Bay is paying for availability and scheme fit, not for a long-term answer. That makes this a prove-it deal for Smith and a low-risk add for general manager Brian Gutekunst, who has avoided multi-year commitments at tight end since releasing Jimmy Graham after the 2019 season.
The timing also matters for Jordan Love's contract extension, finalized last July at four years and $220 million. Green Bay now has $154 million in guaranteed money on the books between Love, left tackle Rasheed Walker, and edge rusher Rashan Gary. The front office is operating inside a narrowing cap window, which explains why Smith's deal carries no reported guaranteed years and why the Packers did not chase mid-tier free agents like Mike Gesicki or Hunter Henry, both of whom signed multi-year deals elsewhere this month.
Smith gives offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich another body for 13 personnel looks, which Green Bay deployed on 18 percent of offensive snaps last season, per Sports Info Solutions. Kraft lined up inline on 62 percent of his routes; Smith has historically split out wide on 41 percent of his snaps across his career, per Pro Football Focus. That split-out rate matters in LaFleur's system, which asks tight ends to win against linebackers in space and create mismatches in the red zone. Smith caught 8 touchdowns in 2020, his Pro Bowl season, on 41 targets inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
The deal also gives Green Bay insurance against injury without forcing the team into the draft. Kraft missed 3 games last season with a pectoral strain. Smith has played 16 or more games in four of his six NFL seasons. The depth allows Gutekunst to enter April's draft without tight end as a pressing need, freeing capital to address edge rusher, offensive tackle, or secondary.
Watch for Smith's usage rate in minicamp this June. If he takes first-team reps in two-tight-end sets, that signals LaFleur plans to lean heavier into 12 personnel than he did in 2024. Also watch for contract language to surface: if Smith's base salary sits below $2 million with incentives tied to playing time, that confirms this is a veteran-minimum prove-it structure. And watch Miami's tight end board: the Dolphins let Smith walk without a reported counter, which suggests they are drafting the position in Round 2 or Round 3.
Smith's agent Drew Rosenhaus has 3 other tight end clients still unsigned, including Darren Waller, who is contemplating retirement. If Waller retires, Rosenhaus will push Smith's case for a mid-season extension in Green Bay if the production matches the 2020 baseline.
The takeaway
Green Bay adds red-zone depth on a one-year deal, signaling tight end depth without multi-year cap exposure as Love's extension tightens the budget.
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