Patriots Regretting Big JuJu Smith-Schuster Contract

Former Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster is in an odd situation in New England. After signing a three-year deal worth $25.5 million with the team, Smith-Schuster has not been used like he is getting paid. Davante Parker out-snapped Smith-Schuster heavily on Sunday, while Smith-Schuster played a mere 59% of the team’s snaps during their loss to the Miami Dolphins.

These all come from reports that Smith-Schuster remained outside the team’s top-five options in the passing game. Moreover, Smith-Schuster’s knee reportedly “could explode” at any moment, but Smith-Schuster denies that there is anything wrong with his knee. The saga in Foxborough with Smith-Schuster is puzzling.

RELATED: Ex-Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster to Sign with Patriots

JuJu Smith-Schuster experienced a career rebound last year. That came with a resurgence in Kansas City playing with Patrick Mahomes in 2022. On the way to the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVII win, Smith-Schuster had 101 targets for 933 yards and three touchdowns. His 9.2 yards per target was the second-most since his rookie season, and he caught a career-high 77.2% of his targets. The Chiefs wanted to retain Smith-Schuster but could not match his salary amid a salary cap crunch.

Now, Smith-Schuster is in an odd spot. The Patriots do not have many targets that, at a glance, should be outearning Smith-Schuster’s production. They have opted to give some playing time to rookies Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte. But Smith-Schuster’s snaps were on par with that of veteran Kendrick Bourne.

The question now becomes how much of that contract Smith-Schuster will see and how much of his staggered snap count could be due to his surgically repaired knee. New England goes against the grain with many decisions, including personnel. Due to several factors, they are not afraid to play a guy earning less money than someone like Smith-Schuster. Smith-Schuster’s factors just remain an odd mystery of what is going on with the former Steelers wide receiver.