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The New England Patriots must have had bigger things in mind for tight end Jonnu Smith when the team pulled the trigger on him with a four-year, $50 million contract in 2021 free agency.
When the Patriots signed Smith, he was coming off a 41-catch, 448-yard and eight-touchdown season with the Tennessee Titans in 2020. He’s projected to finish short of all those statistics in 2021 after 12 games with 22 catches, 210 yards and a touchdown. His fellow free-agent signing Hunter Henry has been a much bigger part of the offense. But that’s not bothering Smith.
“I’m thankful I’m in the position that I am,” Smith told reporters on Tuesday during a press conference. “Whatever it is I’m called or asked to do, that’s just always been the player I’ve been. I don’t necessarily worry about the role. I just embrace it. I’m not going to worry about the role.”
Smith seems to be focused on the bigger picture, rather about his own stat line. He was asked whether he thought of this season as more of a foundational year, a phrase that offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels used to describe Smith’s first season with the team.
“Not necessarily in that aspect (with the playbook). You get to anywhere for the first time in your life and it’s an adjustment,” Smith said. “It’s just about how well you adjust and, just coming in with the same mindset every day. Put my hard hat on. Like I said earlier, I’m thankful for the position that we’re in right now. We know that we’ve got a lot more football left and we’ve given ourselves the opportunity to continue to play of a lot more football.”
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