WATCH: WR JuJu Smith-Schuster’s Wednesday Press Conference

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster spoke Wednesday in advance of his club’s preseason finale Friday at home against the Chicago Bears.

To view his comments, watch below.

On his advice to younger players during this time:

“Yeah, those guys, my advice to them is that, every opportunity, make the best of it. For a lot of them, a lot of young guys, I would say, and throughout the preseason, you get those chances to go out there, you work, whether it's blocking, making plays, catching the football. And, for a lot of them, it's also for other scouts, all other 31 teams look at our film, vice versa.

“So, what they put on tape is good, they're all getting evaluated and for the guys who make this team, like I said, just knowing every position, go out there, be coachable, be a sponge and just basically make your opportunities the most of it.”

On advice to younger players who will make the roster, such as Jalen Royals and Tyquan Thornton:

“Yeah, this offense is not, it's not an easy offense. Coming in, especially my first time, especially as a young guy coming from a college playbook, from where the hashes are a lot wider and the plays are a lot simpler.

“But, for Jalen, him just being who he is and being able to be coachable throughout the whole time. And see Tyquan grow; I've been with him when he used to be with the Patriots, so seeing him come from there to here and seeing him, open up and stretch the field, it’s helped us out a lot. So, it's pretty nice to see that, these guys are coming along.”

On how he feels physically and mentally, now that he’s back in Kansas City:

“Yeah, I've just been praying a lot, honestly, being able to just stay with His word and His faith and things happen for a reason. And, I am happy to be back here, playing with the guys here and it feels great, feels like home -- missing barbecue and everything else that comes with it – but I’ll say this. This offseason, I took a lot of, just a lot of focus on myself and my shape and my health, being able to come out here and, like I said, the older you get, you got to compete with these young guys. So it's nice that the motivation is still here and the fire's still hot. So, yeah, K.C.'s fun. I enjoy it here. Not just the team, but the fans and the people.”

On investing extra-curricular time after practice with younger players:

“I think naturally, it's just, I'm a people's person, so I like to help out the guys, especially learning plays, studying plays. And, for me, I remember when I was a rookie and some of the older guys took time out of their day, who had family, who had things going on, to spend time with them. So, yeah, throughout camp, I was spending an hour after practice or after meetings, with the younger guys, to try to get their plays down.

“Because, man, this is their livelihood. They've been playing football since they were kids. So, for them, the more they can get, out of a veteran, uh, it's nice. I know it goes a long way, not just for them, but for their future. So, yeah, it is very important to help out those guys.”

Kansas City Chiefs receiver Jason Brownlee (89) celebrates his touchdown with teammates JuJu Smith-Schuster (9) and Patrick Mahomes (15) during their preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on Aug. 9, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On how his preseason has gone so far:

“Yeah, I'm excited. Camp is going great. Like I said, glad to be back for another year. I feel like this is the best shape I've ever been in. I feel great, going into the season. So, like I said, being able to just, wherever I can help at, filling the void, filling certain spots and keep these guys going. It's going to be a long season. With our schedule, how it is, it's going to be super exciting. First game in Brazil, super excited about that, so, just trying to stay ahead of the course.”

On how Patrick Mahomes is different this season:

“I would say definitely him coming into this season, you can tell he's a lot lighter, mobility you can see. And I would say obviously his next level of like seeing the next play, seeing the play ahead and kind of like visualizing it, has helped us out a lot. We're able to see coverages more so far ahead because, we're on the same page with him.

“And I think that's just more so just being around a guy like Trav (Kelce). When you see a guy like Trav, he's still doing it at a high level, how old he is. It’s cool to see that because then now all the young guys kind of rally around that and kind of rally around Pat. And you just see that, okay, cool, like they're taking it to the next level. It just brings everybody else to that next level. So, those guys, they set the bar really, really high here and I think that's awesome. I always say, when you have guys like the veteran players, working hard every day, showing up every day, putting in the work, putting in the effort, it just makes the younger guys kind of just follow.

Smith-Schuster, Patrick Mahomes — Dec 15, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) congratulates wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (9) after a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns during the first quarter at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

“And that, that becomes the expectation here. So, every day you, you got to show up and work every day. So, on the field and off the field, you can see that a lot. So, they're definitely taking it to the next level.”

On how he kept himself in such great shape:

“First of all, I moved to San Diego, so kind of just focusing. Honestly, what I did was, I got the right crew around me, the right guys. … So we trained out in San Diego and, we pretty much did like two-a-days, pretty much, and trained every single day. And I think a lot of times, I would put my family first when it comes to the offseason, but this time I kind of … put myself first and really focused on that. So, this offense is, you got to run fast, so got to keep going.”

Jan 26, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (9) celebrates with fans after a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills during the first half in the AFC Championship game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Breaking Chiefs news is available 24/7 with OnSI; the easiest way to get it is to follow @KCChiefsOnSI, @ZakSGilbert and @Domminchella on X (Twitter). And, join the discussion on JuJu Smith-Schuster and the young wide receivers by visiting our Facebook page (here).