If Jalen Ramsey finds any irony that he’s playing safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minkah Fitzpatrick is being used as a nickel back for the Miami Dolphins, he’s not letting on.

The blockbuster trade that saw the All-Pro defensive backs swapped for one another is viewed to both Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith, who also was acquired by the Steelers, as a business decision.

After the Steelers (7-6) completed their walk-through Saturday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium in preparation for Monday night’s game against the Dolphins (6-7), Ramsey didn’t want to discuss much about his time in Miami.

But Ramsey didn’t hold back when asked about playing for Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, especially the “Fire Tomlin” chants from fans in their most recent home game, a 26-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Nov. 30. Ramsey called it “comical,” saying he thought the chants were “bull(expletive).”

“I’ve only been here one year with him, so I can’t speak to anything else that I don’t know of, but obviously I have a ton of respect for him,” Ramsey said. “He’s a Hall of Fame coach, one of the best coaches in the league, if not the best. I could go on and on about Coach Tomlin. He is not only a great guy but he’s truly a great coach, a great motivator.”

Neither Ramsey nor Smith were in Miami long enough to profess much attachment to the Dolphins, and both got a pay bump upon joining the Steelers. Ramsey, who signed a three-year, $72.3 million contract extension in September 2024, received a $1.5 million raise as part of the trade to boost his guaranteed salary to $26.6 million this season. The Steelers signed Smith to a $12 million salary for this season.

“That’s probably all I can say about that, is it’s the business end of it,” Ramsey said, noting that Fitzpatrick was a four-time Pro Bowl pick and two-time All-Pro in six seasons with the Steelers. “I don’t want to put words in his mouth. I’m sure it feels different for him because this is where he spent most of the time of his great, prime years here, where he was a key piece of the defense here in Pittsburgh. This is different for me than Miami. I was there for a year-and-a-half. It’s a different feeling. It’s business, part of the business.”

Even so, Ramsey and Smith have no shortage of motivation to beat the Dolphins, given that it could push them one step closer to clinching the AFC North Division and a playoff berth.

Where Smith had a career-best 88 receptions for 884 yards and eight touchdowns with the Dolphins last season, he hasn’t played as prominent of a role with the Steelers despite reuniting with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith after stints together in Tennessee and Atlanta. In 13 games for the Steelers, Jonnu Smith has 30 catches for 190 yards — a career-low 6.3 yards per reception — and two touchdowns, with only five catches for 31 yards in the past five games.

“Obviously, as a competitor you want to go in there and show up and show out and win,” Jonnu Smith told TribLive. “As a professional, you’ve got to treat every game with a clear mind and be conscious of, ‘Hey, no matter who’s in front of me, the goal is to win.’ Sometimes, we let our emotions get the best of us. That’s not the kind of mindset you want to go into these games.”

Ramsey downplayed the Dolphins game, talking as if he was treating it like any other opponent. Acquired from the Los Angeles Rams in March 2023, he played 27 games for Miami over two seasons before being dealt to the Steelers.

Expected to start at cornerback for the Steelers, he instead switched to safety when DeShon Elliott was placed on injured reserve in late October with a hyperextended knee. Ramsey has played every snap on defense in 10 of 13 games, including the past three when he has recorded 21 tackles (12 solo), but was curious to see what it would be like playing in freezing conditions on “Monday Night Football.”

“I haven’t had many in my career, actually,” Ramsey said. “I haven’t been to many places where it gets as cold as it does here. But it’s football. I just love playing football, so I’m cool with it. … I don’t know if I’ve ever played in a snow game, so we’ll see.”

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