Reunion Coming? Patriots Release former Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
The New England Patriots are releasing former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, according to multiple reports.
The New England Patriots are releasing former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, per multiple media reports.
Smith-Schuster, 27, played 11 snaps in New England’s preseason debut against the New York Giants on Thursday night, but was not targeted and did no record any statistics. He appeared to be in line to lose playing time to both second-round pick Ja’Lynn Polk and fourth-round selection Javon Baker.
Smith-Schuster’s career has been significantly derailed by injuries, which limited him to playing in 11 games with the Patriots in 2023. He caught 29 passes for 260 yards and one touchdown. He finished sixth on the team in yards and tied for sixth in receptions.
He had completed just one season of a three-year, $25-million contract signed with the Patriots last offseason. Smith-Schuster had been set to earn $8 million this season and $7.5 million next season. His release will trigger a $9.6 million dead cap hit this season and a $2.6 million dead cap hit next season, while saving the Patriots $647,000 against this year’s salary cap.
Originally the Steelers’ second-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Smith-Schuster had one of the best seasons of his career after leaving Pittsburgh. In 2022, he caught 78 passes for 933 yards and three touchdowns for the Kansas City Chiefs, the second-best yardage total of his career. He also appeared in three playoff games as the Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII, adding another 10 catches for 89 yards.
Of his career 5,048 yards, 3,855 of them came in his five seasons in Pittsburgh. His best season came in 2018, when he earned his lone carer Pro Bowl appearance by making 111 catches for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns.
After the departure of Antonio Brown in 2018, and during a tumultuous period of quarterback play for the Steelers after Ben Roethlisberger’s injury in 2019, Smith-Schuster saw a statistical down-turn. He had just 1,512 yards on 154 catches over the next three seasons, and missed all but five games of 2021 with a knee injury.
Though always lauded for his toughness, blocking ability and dedication to his craft, Smith-Schuster’s social media antics and perceived attention-seeking behavior also caused him to lose favor among Pittsburgh fans.
He re-signed with the Steelers on a one-year contract for 2021, but when it expired the following year, he tested the free agent waters and found a fit with Kansas City.
It’s certainly possible that the Steelers could kick the tires on a reunion with Smith-Schuster. The team does not currently have a player that brings his level of size and physicality to the slot wide receiver position, and he would likely be a good fit in Arthur Smith’s run and play-action-heavy scheme.
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