JuJu Smith-Schuster Didn't Want to Deal With Fallout From Signing With Ravens
JuJu Smith-Schuster considered signing with the Ravens this offseason.
However, the wide receiver turned down a $9.5 million deal with another $3.5 million in incentives from Baltimore to stay in Pittsburgh for $8 million,
The fallout from the fans was simply too much for Smith-Schuster to handle. Smith-Schuster also considered the Kansas City Chiefs.
"I'm looking at the bigger picture, going into next year. I already knew if I went to the Ravens, fans would've destroyed me," Smith-Schuster said. "Going to the Chiefs, they have a great offense, playing with Tyreek and Travis, but I've got to do what's best for me. That's staying home."
Baltimore has a familiarity with Smith-Schuster who had 308 career receptions with 3,726 yards with 26 touchdowns over four seasons with the Steelers.
The Chiefs also reportedly offered Smith-Schuster a deal worth $8 million with $3 million in incentives, but he opted to stay with the franchise that drafted him,
The Ravens eventually signed former Kansas City wide receiver Sammy Watkins as a free agent. If Watkins can stay healthy, he should help boost a passing attack that was ranked last in the NFL in yards per game and attempts.
With the addition of Rashod Bateman and Tylan Wallace in this year's draft, Baltimore now has eight players vying for perhaps six roster spots — Watkins, Marquise Brown, Miles Boykin, Devin Duvernay, Deon Cain and James Proche.
"We’re very happy the way it played out," GM Eric DeCosta said. "We’re excited. But I also want to say that we feel really, really good about the guys that are already on the campus. Those guys are going to compete, they’re good players, [and] they’re going to help us win a lot of games. All we’ve done really is just kind of stack the deck and create a lot of competition.”
