The Pittsburgh Steelers have been one of the best teams in the 21st century in drafting and developing wide receivers. It is not automatic that a receiver who is selected by the black and gold goes on to be a major contributor, but they have hit more often than not. When the team selected JuJu Smith-Schuster from the USC Trojans in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, it was love at first sight with the fan base.
Smith-Schuster found an instant connection with Ben Roethlisberger and despite only starting seven games his rookie season, he nearly reached 1,000 yards receiving. His second season saw him catch 111 passes for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns. He was voted the offensive MVP and it set off a chain of events that saw Antonio Brown leave Pittsburgh in a fit of, well to be frank, being AB.
Charles Goldman is the Managing Editor for The Chiefs Wire and he reported via Twitter about Smith-Schuster’s mindset heading into the divisional round rematch against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has played well in the past in his limited playoff appearances and is the most reliable target for Patrick Mahomes at wide receiver, trailing only Travis Kelce in targets on the Chiefs.
The former USC Trojan played in three playoff games for the Steelers in 2017, 2020 and 2021. Against the Cleveland Browns in 2020 in the furious comeback attempt, he caught 13 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown. Despite missing significant time leading up to the Chiefs game last season, he still managed five receptions resulting in three first downs in a blowout loss last season. He has a real chance to earn his first playoff victory this season on Saturday with all due respect to the plucky Jaguars.
Smith-Schuster remains one of the most popular Steelers players in recent memory. He signed a below market deal to play with Roethlisberger in what would be his final season, but lost most of it to an injury. He desperately wanted to stay in Pittsburgh, and he was affordable. The Steelers simply decided it was best for all parties that they moved on. Smith-Schuster has carved out a role as a tough target over the middle who moves the chains for the Chiefs.
Playing with Mahomes, he did push his yards per catch back to 12 yards, but fell just short of 1,000 receiving yards. Smith-Schuster is still a solid target who moves the chains, but with the Chiefs, he did demonstrate that he could still run deeper routes. Roethlisberger in 2020, his last full season with Smith-Schuster, found him 97 times, but at only 831 yards. It seemed like it was exclusively as an alternative to pick up short third downs. The 26 year old receiver demonstrated this season, he was not just a one trick pony and it may pay off in his third try at free agency.
The Steelers do have a need for a third wide receiver and Smith-Schuster is once again a free agent. He is an appealing target over the middle and the baggage of his youthful celebrations and social media presence may be behind him. Smith-Schuster is one of the youngest players in NFL history and is still younger than Diontae Johnson and will probably be considerably less expensive. It is doubtful that he would take another team-friendly contract with the Steelers, and he seems happy in Kansas City with Andy Reid and the Chiefs offense.
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