What's Next for JuJu Smith-Schuster and the Steelers?
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster underwent shoulder surgery, effectively ending his 2021 season just five games into the campaign.
An unfortunate turn of events for any player, but especially for Smith-Schuster. The charismatic fifth-year player returned to the Steelers on somewhat of a "prove it" deal in the Spring. He reportedly turned down other potential suitors such as the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs and returned to the Steel City for less money. Now that his season has been cut short unexpectedly, it's fair to wonder what's next for Smith-Schuster and the Steelers?
The future can best be described as murky. Both parties will have plenty of time to assess the situation from now until the free agency window opens. The question above has many layers to peel through, making this prediction rather complicated for both sides.
The Market
What is the market going to be for Smith-Schuster? During an unprecedented Covid-related offseason, the market never seemed to materialize much for him. Sure, there were several teams interested in short-team deals, but there was never anyone wanting to go all-in for his services, something that Steelers fans had almost come to grips with as a possibility. The numbers just aren't gaudy enough to bring in big money, as he's only accumulated 1,512 yards and 12 touchdowns in the past three seasons combined.
What do you pay a tough, gritty slot receiver who's probably best suited as a second or maybe even third option? You would have to probably assume that he wouldn't be able to garner more than the $8M average per year that he got this past offseason. If anything, that number more than likely comes down a little bit. The Steelers will have the cap space but have notoriously avoided giving non-star-level receivers second or third contracts. On the flip side, Smith-Schuster has a plethora of endorsement deals, and there's no real indication that he would just freely sign to the highest bidder anyways. However, I'm sure he's looking for fair market value, as he should.
The Ben Factor
While he and Roethlisberger didn't seem quite on the same page this season, there's no doubt that their relationship was a big reason for his return to Pittsburgh this season. Both players have always spoken very highly of each other publicly, and they both share a noticeable bond. Both players are two of the most highly criticized players that I've ever seen play in the city of Pittsburgh, so they have that in common. Roethlisberger is at the very tail end of his illustrious career, and it's very likely that the two have played their last down together on the football field.
Which leads to the second part of this equation, who is the Steelers quarterback next year? Mason Rudolph? Aaron Rodgers? A Rookie? There's a good chance that this question may not even be answered when free agency begins, too. After passing up the chance to play with Patrick Mahomes, it's easy to envision the Steelers quarterback situation playing a big role in whether or not Smith-Schuster would even be interested in returning. Whoever is behind center for the Steelers would surely benefit from having Smith-Schuster as a security blanket, both over the middle of the field and on third down.
The Fit
The fan base might be split on Smith-Schuster's off-the-field hobbies, but there should be zero doubt that he is a Steeler, through and through on the football field. Take a minute to listen to some of the player/coaches' interviews from the past several days, you will immediately feel the somberness in their words when discussing number 19's injury. Without a doubt, one of the toughest receivers to ever don the black and gold.
However, is Smith-Schuster now the Steelers' number three receiver? The numbers indicate that. Diontae Johnson is in the midst of what could be a special break-out type of season, while Chase Claypool is currently leading the team in receiving yards. If Johnson does, in fact, break out, would they prioritize an extension for him over bringing back Smith-Schuster? Would Smith-Schuster prefer to go play in another environment that would give him more opportunities to be "the guy?"
The USC product has also had his route tree diminished to almost exclusively underneath work, rarely getting a chance to make plays down the field. He's basically been downgraded into a pseudo-running back. He has previously publicly expressed the desire to attain more playing time as an outside receiver instead of strictly lining up in the slot. However, we didn't see much of that materialize under Matt Canada in the early portions of the season.
The Injuries
You hate to see injuries pop up and derail promising careers, and hopefully, these won't be an issue moving forward to Smith-Schuster. However, it's worth noting that he will be up to 16 games missed since the start of 2019 after factoring in his recent season-ending injury.
He's had numerous injuries pop up over the course of his career so far. A lot of those seem to be of the nagging variety, which is most concerning. There was a knee issue in 2019 that caused him to miss four games, and even after his return, he didn't quite look like the player that we were used to seeing. In 2020, he fought his way through the entire season with knee and foot issues without missing a single game. Fast forward to this year, he exited the Bengals game with a rib injury, returned to start the next two games before injuring his shoulder.
Football is such a violent, brutal sport. One has to appreciate the physical manner in which Smith-Schuster plays the game, but you have to wonder whether or not that physicality is starting to take a toll on his body? All of those times where he lowers his shoulder into defenders to get that extra yard to attain a first down, that's sacrifice. Even when he's in the lineup, he's listed on the injury report frequently, sometimes enough to gain a day off to recoup. These issues could potentially scare teams, including the Steelers, away from inking him to anything more than a short-term deal.
In summary, it's obvious that Juju loves the city of Pittsburgh and that the Steelers appreciate the type of player that he has been for the franchise over the past five years. When discussing the future, it's not about the two sides wanting a fresh start necessarily but that it's like a lot of things in life, complicated. There is now a sizeable void to fill on the offensive side of the ball, both for this season and potentially the future. However it plays out, one can hope that both parties are satisfied with the resolution.
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