Falcon Report

'Art Believed in Me': Falcons TE Jonnu Smith Raves About Coach

Arthur Smith helped draft Jonnu Smith while coaching the Tennessee Titans. Now, the pair are back together with the Atlanta Falcons.

Jeremy Brener

In this story:

"With the 100th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans select Jonnu Smith, tight end, Florida International."

Those words changed Jonnu Smith's life and mean so much to him, and a man named Arthur Smith, tight ends coach for the Titans at the time, now the Atlanta Falcons head coach, had a big part in that selection being made.

Now, almost six years later, the two find themselves crossing paths again and are excited to team up together with the Falcons.

Jonnu was super excited about the trade from the New England Patriots that reunited him with his former tight ends coach.

"(If) I’ve got to answer these questions all day, I’ll keep answering them, man, because you know that guy means so much to me and what he’s done and helped me get to my career," Smith said. "Just a wonderful, wonderful human being. It’s an honor to be playing with him. Art believed in me for all of my NFL career ... it’s a blessing to be reunited with him, a guy who knows how to take advantage of my abilities and talents. I hope this team gets to where we need to go. So, I’m just grateful to be part of this process.”

Jonnu Smith's best years in the NFL came under Arthur Smith's guidance, particularly in 2020. Jonnu caught eight touchdowns for the Titans and signed a four-year, $50 million contract in free agency with the Patriots. Meanwhile, Arthur's success landed him his first head coaching gig with the Falcons.

Now, the two reunite in hopes of creating more magic, something that will kick Jonnu's career into another gear and one that will give Arthur more job security for years to come.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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