Why JuJu Smith-Schuster is the Ultimate Swiss Army Knife for the Giants' Offense

Smith-Schuster provides the Giants receiver room with elite versatility and championship pedigree on a team seemingly full of specialists.

Jun 3, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (8) participates in drills during organized team activities at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When the New York Giants signed veteran receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, they immediately added a dynamic in their receiving room that they didn't possess before: elite versatility.

While no one is going to mistake who he is now for what he was back at the height of his career in Pittsburgh, it's hard to argue that he is still a valuable piece to a receiving corps.

Whether it is for a few games, a few series, or a season, there are many places you can plug Smith-Schuster and still function at a high level as an offense.

At 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, he has a unique frame that can operate on the outside as an X-receiver and be a team’s possession guy, offering the sneaky ability to get behind the third level.

He can block and serve as a perimeter wall against screens and outside runs. In the slot, he has enough quickness to get in and out of breaks and make life difficult on safeties and linebackers. He also has enough physicality to take hits if he has to catch the ball in traffic.

You can have him close to the box, almost like an H-back, and have him lead block or run across the formation on misdirections and play actions. You can also throw him the ball short and let him use that frame to pick up extra yards after the catch.

Getting all that for a veteran minimum deal is a great bonus for the Giants, especially with the uncertainty of Malik Nabers’s status going into training camp.

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JUJU SMITH-SCHUSTER, WR

• Height: 6-foot-1
• Weight: 215 lbs
• Exp: 9 Years
• School: Southern California
• How Acquired: FA-'26

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2025 in Review

Smith-Schuster re-signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024 after a year away from the team, during which he spent time with the New England Patriots. When he returned to the Chiefs in 2025, he saw an increase in his targets over the first six weeks while Rashee Rice was serving a six-game suspension.

Smith-Schuster received 24 targets and caught 19 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown. He went over 55 yards receiving in three of those six games, something he was never able to do for the rest of the year despite starting seven more games.

He averaged almost 12 yards per reception over that time and filled in admirably until Rice was able to re-enter the lineup.

He finished with three or more receptions in six games, leading to 33 out of 45 targets for 345 yards. He averaged 10.5 yards per reception on the season and had a 73.3% catch percentage.

Contract/Cap Info

According to Spotrac, Smith-Schuster signed a one-year, $1.3 million contract that includes no signing bonus or guaranteed money. He will carry his base salary of $1.3 million and have a $1.075 million cap hit.

The contract is a little less than the deal he signed last year to return to the Kansas City Chiefs for a season. The Giants could potentially get a lot of value out of a contract so small from a guy who could potentially do so much.

2026 Preview

With the chance that Malik Nabers may not be able to answer the call at the beginning of the season, there's no more perfect person to have in the fold than Smith-Schuster, who understands how to fill in for people when they're out, similar to what he did last year for Kansas City.

Smith-Schuster’s advantage over the other receivers in the room is that he has the ability to play all of the positions on the field at receiver.

With so many guys slotted in as either X-receivers or Z-receivers, or guys primarily suited for the slot, Smith-Schuster's ability to play all over will give him a leg up over guys like Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin III, who both will slot in at specific positions.

Asking Malachi Fields to come in and immediately be elevated to WR1 status seems like a lot. And although Isaiah Likely and possibly Odell Beckham Jr. will have big roles as pass receivers, they won't be able to do it alone.

Things are set up well for Smith-Schuster to be a steadying force—even if his performance isn't overwhelming. When you add in his ability to run block, it makes perfect sense why Smith-Schuster will be a part of this wide receiver room when everything shakes out after training camp.

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