JuJu Smith-Schuster ‘Heartbroken’ to Be out for Season, Confirms Successful Surgery on Shoulder

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster had successful shoulder surgery Wednesday morning and confirmed that he will miss the rest of the 2021 season in a post to social media on Wednesday afternoon.

Smith-Schuster injured his right shoulder in the Steelers’ win over the Denver Broncos at Heinz Field on Sunday.

“Blessed to have had a successful surgery this morning,” Smith-Schuster wrote. “There’s no other way to say it, but I’m heartbroken that I’m going to be out for the rest of the season. It kills me to have worked hard all year to help our team on the field and now have my season cut short five weeks in. 

“I’ll do everything in my power to recover and I’ll put in another full offseason of work next year to perform to the best of my abilities next season. Thank you to the doctors and hospital staffs for taking care of me, and to the Steelers organization for supporting me during this tough time! Thank you everyone for the well wishes too. I really appreciate all of the love. Be back soon.”

Smith-Schuster is set to become an unrestricted free agent for the second time this March, and it’s certainly possible that he has played his last game with the Steelers, though this injury, much like the COVID-19 pandemic’s salary cap reduction this past March, could once again reduce Smith-Schuster’s negotiating power on the open market.