The defending champion Kansas City Chiefs are strengthening their receiving corps by calling upon a blast from the past. They agreed to contract terms with JuJu Smith-Schuster on Monday, a source familiar with the situation confirmed to ESPN among multiple reports.
Smith-Schuster, 27-year-old, played the 2022-23 season with the Chiefs, taking the gridiron in 16 games, starting 14, and hauling in 78 passes for 933 yards with three touchdowns. In the postseason he really shined and came through when it mattered the most, adding 10 catches for 89 yards as the Chiefs went on to win Super Bowl LVII, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in a nailbiter, 38-35.
The seven-year veteran adds experience to a relatively young Chiefs receiver room led by second year player Rashee Rice who is facing discipline from the NFL for legal issues off the field, free agent Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and rookie speedster Xavier Worthy. Smith-Schuster will try to stand out from Skyy Moore, Justin Watson, Mecole Hardman and Kadarius Toney on Kansas City’s depth chart.
However, Rice faces a likely suspension for his involvement in a multi-car crash in Dallas in April, while Brown is recovering from a separated shoulder suffered in the Chiefs’ preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
After inking a three-year, $25.5 million deal with the New England Patriots in free agency, Smith-Schuster played in 11 games, starting seven. He had a disappointing year in that system to say the least, coming down with 29 receptions for 260 yards and a touchdown, not exactly the production expected with that contract. The Patriots released him unceremoniously in early August.
Reporters tasked with covering the Patriots on a daily basis point out that the team essentially chose Smith-Schuster over Jakobi Meyers with the free agent contract, a trade-off that left them with egg on their face. Meyers went to the Las Vegas Raiders and absolutely balled out, catching 71 passes for 807 yards and eight touchdowns last season.
Having played seven NFL seasons, Smith-Schuster will likely sign for a veteran minimum of $1.21 million with the Patriots on the hook to pay the remaining $7 million he was owed for this season, according to Spotrac.
During his NFL career, Smith-Schuster has 430 receptions for 5,048 yards and 30 touchdowns, averaging 11.7 yards per catch. He played his first five seasons in the ‘Steel City’ with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who selected him in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of USC.
