NFL free agency officially opens on Wednesday, although it’s a lock that there will be plenty of signings reported before then and teams can start talking to players’ agents today. It appears that receiver Juju Smith-Schuster will not be returning to the Pittsburgh Steelers next season, and SportsLine offers NFL odds on his next team. The Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and New England Patriots are the clear favorites.
The Steelers didn’t use the franchise tag on any player this offseason, but they never were expected to use it on Smith-Schuster. Pittsburgh is in some salary-cap hell and re-signing Smith-Schuster simply wasn’t a priority despite his talent because the Steelers have some good, low-cost wideouts in Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool.
It’s somewhat rare for a player who hits free agency to re-sign with his team, but it happens – running back Aaron Jones surprised over the weekend by re-upping with Green Bay. Not long ago, Smith-Schuster said he “would love to come back” to the Steelers. That option apparently is out the window as on Thursday, Sports Illustrated’s Kaitlin O’Toole posted a poll on Instagram asking: “Will JuJu stay in Pittsburgh?”
The two available answers were “That’s a negative” or “I hope so.” Smith-Schuster was among the first five participants to vote for “That’s a negative.”
Smith-Schuster looked like the next Antonio Brown in 2018 when he caught 111 passes (fourth in franchise history) for 1,426 yards (fifth in team history) and seven TDs in being named to the Pro Bowl. Smith-Schuster was named team MVP, which angered Brown so much that he forced his way out of town. In 2019, Smith-Schuster slipped to 42 catches for 552 yards and three scores in 12 games.
The 24-year-old was better in 2020 with 97 grabs (first on team) for 831 yards (third) and nine scores (tied for first). In likely his final game in a Steelers uniform, Smith-Schuster had 13 catches for 157 yards and a TD in the wild card upset loss to Cleveland.
On the open market, Smith-Schuster is probably looking at around $15 million per season, with former Detroit Lions Pro Bowler Kenny Golladay likely to be the only free-agent WR to command more — Chris Godwin and Allen Robinson both might have commanded more, too, but they were franchise tagged by the Bucs and Bears, respectively. Certainly, the markets for Golladay and Smith-Schuster will overlap some.
ESPN’s John Clayton at different times has mentioned the Raiders, Dolphins and Jets as primary contenders for Smith-Schuster with the Patriots and perhaps Bengals getting involved too. Could Miami do a package deal of Smith-Schuster and Steelers free-agent running back James Conner?
Smith-Schuster recently may have given a hint as to what he was thinking by playing Fortnite in a Dolphins uniform recently. His broadcast title was also “March 17 FREE MAN.” Some believe the Fins prefer Golladay.
The Raiders have a glaring need at wideout opposite speedster Henry Ruggs with Nelson Agholor a free agent. Smith-Schuster could be lured to Las Vegas to return to his West Coast roots as he is from California and starred at USC. Neither the Rams nor Chargers figure to be interested, however.
New England has one of the worst groups of receivers in the NFL, but Bill Belichick usually doesn’t spend top dollar on them. The Jets’ urgency for Smith-Schuster could depend on whether they cut Jamison Crowder. Ditto the Colts on whether they re-sign TY Hilton. Perhaps the Texans, too, if they don’t re-sign Will Fuller.
Smith-Schuster could be a nice No. 2 in Washington opposite Terry McLaurin, but who will be throwing the ball? If Smith-Schuster wants to play in California, the 49ers are probably his only option.
Via SportsLine NFL oddsmakers: Which team will sign Juju Smith-Schuster?
- Raiders +200
- Dolphins +300
- Jets +500
- Patriots +600
- Colts +800
- Giants +900
- Washington +1000
- Texans +1100
- Bengals +1200
- Ravens +1400
- 49ers +1500
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