There are a lot of top-tier Wide Receivers on the free-agent market this offseason.
JuJu Smith-Schuster is no longer one of them.
He has signed a one-year, $8M deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
JuJu had been one of the better receivers in the league since he was drafted.
JuJu Smith-Schuster in the slot since 2017:
🔸 195 receptions (5th)
🔸 2,393 yards (2nd)
🔸 19 TD (2nd) pic.twitter.com/Q8BvQUPI2Q— PFF (@PFF) March 20, 2021
Some argue his production dropped significantly after Antonio Brown left the Steelers.
That left JuJu as the #1 WR in Pittsburgh and he could not handle other teams’ #1 corners.
All things considered, many teams in the NFL would be lucky to have JuJu as their #1 WR.
Some teams did try to secure him before he re-signed with the Steelers.
The real question is, did JuJu make the right choice?
The Other Teams
As free agency commonly goes, reports come out of who players are talking with.
JuJu grabbed the attention of several playoff teams and others looking to build around him.
Sources tell me these were the other offers
KC 8 mill with 3 mill incentives
Steelers 8 mill
Baltimore 9 mill 4 incentives— Taylor Bisciotti (@TaylorBisciotti) March 19, 2021
A total of $11M with the Chiefs and $13M with the Ravens.
He also turned down the chance at a Super Bowl run since both teams are constantly in the playoffs.
Other reports said JuJu turned down a multi-year deal with the Eagles, but are left unconfirmed.
The Jets also had talks with JuJu but nothing materialized.
In a world where players always talk about taking less money to stay home, it’s nice to see someone actually follow through.
Pittsburgh, you’ve had my back for 4 years. I got yours. pic.twitter.com/QKBNTicG80
— JuJu Smith-Schuster (@TeamJuJu) March 19, 2021
The issue I have is JuJu is still young and not even in his prime yet.
I don’t want to see him waste the young days of his career on a pretender.
The Ravens are only missing that true #1 WR to make their offense more diverse.
The Chiefs could have created an unstoppable offense with the addition of JuJu.
We won’t get to see it, so let’s focus on what we will see.
The Return
The Steelers offense has shown its ugly side, especially late in the 2020 season.
After an 11-0 start, they lost 4 of their last 5 and were kicked out of the playoffs in round 1.
The main reason was because of the injuries on defense and the inability to run the ball.
RB James Connor has not continued his success outside of 2018 and RB Benny Snell is nothing more than a backup.
WR Chase Claypool is a very nice addition and WR Diontae Johnson has his moments.
We will have to wait and see what TE Eric Ebron can bring to the table.
Overall, the offense is one-dimensional and even the passing offense has its issues.
Drop percentages From PFF
-Diontae Johnson – 13.7%
-James Washington – 11.8%
-Eric Ebron – 11.1%
-James Conner – 10.3%
-Chase Claypool – 6.1%
-JuJu Smith-Schuster – 3%30 dropped passes (2nd worst) https://t.co/6dZReBWx6b
— Dylan Borland (@borland_dylan) March 20, 2021
I am not saying JuJu is the main issue here at all.
When the opposing team knows you are going to throw the ball, it’s easy to defend it.
It is the complete opposite of the issues the Ravens are having.
Everyone knows the Ravens will run the ball, and that could have changed with the addition of JuJu.
I am not sure if the Steelers have done enough this offseason so far to fix all of their problems.
The major concern is can QB Ben Roethlisberger lead this offense past top-tier defenses.
Ben Roethlisberger better throw for 4,000 passing yards, 50 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in 2021. 😂 #Steelers
— Blitzburgh ✨ (@RenegadeBlitz) March 16, 2021
Sadly, if he does not perform like the tweet states, this team doesn’t have a chance of winning a Super Bowl.
I don’t think JuJu made the wrong decision coming back to Pittsburgh because home is where the heart is.
Unfortunately, the Lombardi is elsewhere.
NEXT: Uncertainty Reigns In Pittsburgh Regarding Roethlisberger's Future