Pittsburgh Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster has entered the free agency madness for the second time in as many years. While the sixth-year WR re-signed with Pittsburgh on a one-year, $8 million deal, it does not appear the two parties will agree to a new contract this offseason. With the new league year starting at 4 PM ET today, are there any rumors swirling about Smith-Schuster’s next destination?
JuJu Smith-Schuster Free Agency Rumors
Smith-Schuster burst onto the scene in 2018 in the WR2 role behind Antonio Brown. After a promising rookie campaign in 2017, Smith-Schuster thrived in 2018, leading Pittsburgh with 111 receptions while also having the fifth-most receiving yards in the league (1,426). However, he hasn’t matched the promise of that season since. During Week 11 of the 2019 campaign, Smith-Schuster sustained a concussion and left knee injury, causing him to miss four games.
While he didn’t produce as many yards in 2020, Smith-Schuster did bring his touchdown total back in line with his previous production. Following the 2020 season, the Steelers re-signed him to a one-year deal. However, his venture into free agency in 2022 will be hindered by his availability in 2021.
Smith-Schuster played in just five games during the 2021 campaign after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 5 against the Denver Broncos. He would suit up for Pittsburgh’s Wild Card tilt against Kansas City, but the WR has only played two full seasons in five years. With franchises locking down deals, let’s see what the rumors around the league are saying about Smith-Schuster’s next destination.
Jacksonville Jaguars
With the legal tampering period wrapping up on Wednesday, March 16, some teams with ample cap space have thrown money around left and right. The Jacksonville Jaguars went into free agency with $56 million in available cap space. After two days of action, they currently have just under $14 million left at their disposal.
Jacksonville has agreed to deals with free agent WRs Christian Kirk and Zay Jones. The Jaguars set the league on fire after announcing Kirk’s monster four-year, $72 million contract. The agreement pushes Kirk into the top 10 highest-paid WRs with a base salary of $18 million a year. They floated a more team-friendly three-year, $24 million deal to Jones, but this doesn’t leave much room to sign Smith-Schuster outside of a bargain.
Philadelphia Eagles
Rumors were swirling around the Philadelphia Eagles front office ahead of the legal tampering period about the acquisition of Smith-Schuster. However, Jimmy Kempski of Philly Voice hears otherwise. While the Eagles showed interest in the cross-state receiver last offseason, they don’t seem to be interested this time around.
While the Eagles re-signed WR Greg Ward to a one-year deal, they are still in the market for a WR. It is unknown whether injury concerns or lack of production have shied them away from offering JuJu a contract. Still, it seems likely Phildalephia will pursue different avenues to address its WR room.
Chicago Bears
So is anyone interested in Smith-Schuster? The Chicago Bears beat is begging new GM Ryan Poles to sign the WR. It was evident that rookie QB Justin Fields lacked support from his offensive weapons. Signing JuJu would give Fields a solid option out of the slot. Chicago has its fair share of available cap space to make this a reality.
However, the Bears have yet to shore things up with their free agent WR Allen Robinson. However, re-signing Robinson and bringing in Smith-Schuster would create a great trio with emerging WR Darnell Mooney. Surrounding Fields with a competent offense will help push his development in the right direction after an awful introduction to the league.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs have been at the top of the AFC West for quite some time. However, the Broncos and Chargers are loading up to take down the king. Kansas City’s cap situation isn’t ideal, but as the New Orleans Saints showed, teams can find a way. While the rivals start mounting their attack, the Chiefs will be looking to maintain their stranglehold on the AFC West.
WRs Byron Pringle and Demarcus Robinson have yet to be re-signed by Kansas City, so the Chiefs are definitely in the market for a wideout. Smith-Schuster has voiced his interest in signing with the Chiefs, as reported by PFN NFL Insider Aaron Wilson on January 25. Kansas City offered the Pittsburgh WR a deal in the 2020 offseason. Smith-Schuster turned that down, returning to Pittsburgh for one more year. It seems likely his decision would flip should Kansas City offer him a new deal this year.