Tag: JuJu Smith-Schuster

Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster discusses potentially playing in the season opener vs. Ravens

Kansas City #Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster discusses potentially playing in the season opener vs. Baltimore #Ravens | @EdEastonJr

On Monday, the Kansas City Chiefs brought back a familiar face in wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, resigning him ahead of the 2024 regular season.

Smith-Schuster spoke to reporters after Tuesday’s practice for the first since re-signing with the Chiefs. He explained his decision to rejoin Kansas City after being released by the New England Patriots.

“Just very familiar with the offense. Very familiar with (Head Coach) Andy Reid, Pat (Patrick Mahomes) (and) the guys. “Just being in this facility makes your job a lot easier than going somewhere new, where you kind of got to learn everything pretty quickly,” said Smith-Schuster. “I think the hardest part for an offensive player is going into a new system and having to study a whole new playbook. Being in New England, I studied two playbooks and two offensive playbooks. Being familiar with this playbook.”

Smith-Schuster recorded 29 catches for 260 yards in 11 games (7 starts) last season for the struggling Patriots. He was Patrick Mahomes’ favorite target during the 2022 season and hopes to continue that familiarity in 2024, regardless of whether he’s ready for the regular season opener against the Baltimore Ravens.

“Too early to say I just got the playbook. So it’s, some things have changed,” said Smith-Schuster, so just, taking it day by day. But (you) never know.”

Smith-Schuster is a reliable veteran that can play multiple roles in the receivers room. The Chiefs needed reliable hands after last year’s issues with dropped passes.

JuJu Smith-Schuster returns to Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs have some good JuJu back in their huddle.

JuJu Smith-Schuster has returned to the Kansas City Chiefs as first reported by veteran NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

The former USC Trojan and 27-year-old has bounced around the NFL. Smith-Schuster previously spent the 2022 season with the Chiefs, hauling in 78 catches for 933 yards and three touchdowns as one of Patrick Mahomes  top targets during their 2022 Super Bowl run.

He spent one season (2023) with the New England Patriots and caught 29 passes for 260 yards and one touchdown in 11 games. He was released by the Patriots this month after totaling 29 catches for 260 yards and one touchdown in 11 games in his only season for New England.

His first five seasons, including his 2018 Pro Bowl campaign, were with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who drafted Smith-Schuster in the second round in 2017 out of USC.

Kansas City seemingly signed Smith-Schuster for insurance, as offseason signing Marquise “Hollywood” Brown is dealing with a shoulder injury. Patrick Mahomes still has plenty of dangerous weapons at his disposal, including all-world tight end Travis Kelce, plus Skyy Moore and dynamic rookie Xavier Worthy.

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Veteran Chiefs linebacker comments on the signing of wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster

Kansas City #Chiefs LB Drue Tranquill comments on the signing of wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster | @EdEastonJr

The news broke early Monday morning that the Kansas City Chiefs had agreed to terms on a deal to sign wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill spoke with reporters on Monday after practice about his thoughts on the signing of Smith-Schuster.

“Well, Nick (Bolton) was saying he was getting treatment on the table today, and he’s like, that voice sounds so familiar. And he looked up, and JuJu (Smith-Schuster) is like, What’s up, brother?” said Tranquill. “So I look forward to meeting JuJu and getting after it. I hear he’s a great player. He and Pat (Patrick Mahomes) have good chemistry, and I think he missed four or five games. He almost had 1,000 yards for the team a few years ago. So he’ll be a key addition for us and help us.”

Smith-Schuster was a significant part of the Chiefs’ offense in 2022, finishing the year with 78 receptions for 933 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He was recently released by the New England Patriots after spending 2023 with them and missing the postseason.

Former Patriots receiver signing with Super Bowl champion Chiefs

A former Patriots receiver is reportedly joining the Chiefs

Former New England Patriots wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is reportedly signing a one-year deal to return to the Kansas City Chiefs, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Smith-Schuster was released by the Patriots on August 9, one year into his three-year deal with the team. There was hope he’d be an improvement for the Patriots over Jakobi Meyers, who ultimately signed with the Las Vegas Raiders.

But it ended up being a great miscalculation by former Patriots coach and de facto general manager Bill Belichick.

Smith-Schuster struggled to produce on the field, while Meyers served as an effective receiver for the Raiders. He had one of the worst seasons statistically of his career with only 29 catches for 260 yards and one touchdown in 11 games.

Smith-Schuster was part of the Chiefs’ 2022 Super Bowl team. So there’s clearly hope that he can produce far better numbers in their offensive system than he did in New England.

He is still only 27 years old, but injuries have robbed him of his explosiveness on the field. However, if anyone can get anything out of him, it would be the powerful offensive pairing of coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Ex-Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster finds new NFL home

Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster reunited with the Kansas City Chiefs, a team that he won a Super Bowl with.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster has reunited with the Kansas City Chiefs, a team on which he won a Super Bowl in 2022.

Smith-Schuster, 27, originally signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs as a Steelers free agent and logged 78 catches for 933 yards and three touchdowns. That production earned him a three-year, $33 million contract with the New England Patriots in the ensuing offseason, only to produce some of the worst marks of his career in an injury-riddled 11-game 2023 season.

The Chiefs are not known for rostering premier pass-catchers, so Smith-Schuster joins an unpredictable receivers room of 2023 rookie standout Rashee Rice (a suspension candidate for role in a high-speed offseason car crash), Marquise “Hollywood” Brown (recovering from a shoulder injury) and first-round rookie Xavier Worthy.

Steelers fans had a love-hate relationship with Smith-Schuster, a second-round pick by Pittsburgh in 2017. At times, he seemed to care more about his brand than the Black and Gold. Smith-Schuster’s peak season came in 2018 (while Antonio Brown was still a member of the Steelers) with 111 receptions for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns.

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Chiefs expected to reunite with veteran WR JuJu Smith-Schuster

According to a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the #Chiefs are expected to reunite with veteran WR JuJu Smith-Schuster.

According to a report from Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Kansas City Chiefs are set to reunite with veteran wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who last played for the team during its Super Bowl LVII campaign.

Smith-Schuster was released by the New England Patriots on August 9 and caught on with Kansas City after the Chiefs lost all three of their preseason games.

Though he has already developed a rapport with Patrick Mahomes in Andy Reid’s offense, Smith-Schuster will face an uphill battle to earn playing time and may find it difficult to push Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown, Rashee Rice, and Xavier Worthy for playing time.

With this move, the Chiefs’ front office has doubled down on their commitment to revamping the team’s receiving corps after a lackluster showing from the group last season.

Stay tuned to see if Smith-Schuster suits up for Kansas City’s Week 1 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens on September 5.

Does WR Juju Smith-Schuster make sense for the Vikings?

That leads to the question: Would Juju Smith-Schuster make sense for the Vikings to take a chance on? Perhaps.

The Minnesota Vikings have had several position battles on offense, including various positions at wide receiver. That leads to the question: Would Juju Smith-Schuster make sense for the Vikings to take a chance on? Perhaps.

The veteran wide receiver was released by the New England Patriots over the weekend, ending a rocky tenure with the team. While Smith-Schuster never had off-the-field issues, he was playing like a shell of his former self.

After signing a three-year deal with the team for $33 million, Smith-Schuster played for them only one year and in only 11 games. Prior to that, he was coming off a rejuvenation year with the Kansas City Chiefs, when they won the Super Bowl, and he caught 78 passes for 933 receiving yards with three touchdowns.

Juju Smith-Schuster played primarily out of the slot during his career, so would he make sense for the Vikings in that role? I believe he can.

The wide receiver room looked great against the Las Vegas Raiders this past weekend, but they need more, especially considering that Jordan Addison is facing a potential suspension. The quarterbacks are going to need all the help they can get; Smith-Schuster does that for them.

Patriots coach Jerod Mayo reveals two reasons for JuJu Smith-Schuster release

Jerod Mayo adds context to the Patriots’ decision to release WR JuJu Smith-Schuster

The New England Patriots released wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on Friday, and coach Jerod Mayo went into detail about the release on Sunday.

Smith-Schuster signed with the Patriots in 2023 and recorded 29 catches for 260 yards and a touchdown. He was thought to be the replacement for wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, who left for the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency. Smith-Schuster struggled throughout the year with injuries and inconsistent production on the field.

Mayo indicated the release was due to a multitude of factors, including the injuries and the emergence of the younger wide receivers in the room.

“Really to give the younger guys an opportunity to get more reps and show what they can do,” Mayo said on Smith-Schuster. “[His health] is part of it. At the same time, we just want him to get healthy. He still has some good ball left in him, and I wish him nothing but the best.”

The Patriots are bullish on their younger wide receivers, and it makes sense considering the strides they’ve made. DeMario Douglas has continued to look like one of the best receivers on the roster, while rookies Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker have come along strongly.

The Smith-Schuster signing initially had a ton of promise, but it was simply a case of being the wrong fit for the Patriots.

The wide receiver the Steelers need is now on the market

The Steelers must pursue WR JuJu Smith-Schuster.

With all the talk about the Pittsburgh Steelers potentially working some sort of massive trade to land San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, we are exhausted. But maybe there’s a simple solution that doesn’t involve Aiyuk at all.

News came out on Friday that the New England Patriots were releasing former Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. Smith-Schuster spent his first five seasons with the Steelers before heading off for greener pastures in 2022 and in two seasons with two different teams he has been unable to recreate the production he had in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers have already shown they are willing to take a chance on a former player when they re-signed cornerback Cameron Sutton even though they knew he would likely be suspended. There’s no reason the Steelers aren’t calling Smith-Schuster now about coming back on a one-year, prove-it deal.

People tend to forget that Smith-Schuster has a 97-reception season and a 111-reception season under his belt. Smith-Schuster is the perfect No. 2 receiver with his ability to take advantage of coverages and work ethic.

Smith-Schuster is also a punishing blocker and puts out the level of effort most NFL receivers should be envious of. Smith-Schuster should be back in Pittsburgh by next week and this receiver drama can come to an end.

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Patriots release former USC receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster

JuJu Smith-Schuster will have to hit the reset button with another NFL team.

According to NFL Media, the New England Patriots will release veteran wide receiver and former USC star JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Smith-Schuster, 27, signed with the club on a three-year, $33 million contract in March of 2023, but never found his footing or helped boost New England’s offense, which finished last season ranked 31st in scoring and 30th in yards.

He played in 11 games as a Patriot, starting seven, with 29 catches for 260 yards and a touchdown.

Smith-Schuster said this offseason that he is fully committed and fully healthy, putting a bounce-back season on the radar for him in his well-traveled NFL career.

That said, the former USC alum is still just 27 years old. A team surely will take a flier on the eighth-year performer, as he has given quality work at the wideout position in the the past. Smith-Schuster has a Super Bowl championship to his credit with the Kansas City Chiefs. Smith-Schuster helped the Chiefs defeat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII one and a half years ago.

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