JuJu Smith-Schuster reveals surprising reason he signed with Patriots

Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster previously said he joined the New England Patriots to play for head coach Bill Belichick, but the 26-year-old is also a big fan of another member of the coaching staff. 

Per Zack Cox of NESN, Smith-Schuster explained Wednesday that the hiring of new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien helped convince the 2017 second-round draft pick to sign with the Patriots. 

"When they got Bill O’Brien, it was kind of a no-brainer, just because I know how this system is and how it works, and how he works the offense," Smith-Schuster said. "Belichick, as he is as a head coach, to bring OB in and to bring (tight end) Mike (Gesicki) and all these other guys, all these key pieces, it was kind of like, 'Wow, this is a great fit for me.'" 

Smith-Schuster and the Patriots agreed to a three-year contract in March reportedly worth up to $33M, and he's since repeatedly praised quarterback Mac Jones and his new offense. On Wednesday, the one-time Super Bowl champion credited O’Brien for the successes the offense has enjoyed during training-camp practices. 

"He’s a smart OC," Smith-Schuster added about O’Brien. "I love his coaching style. He’s just one of those dudes that you want to play hard for, because he’s doing his best to put us all in the right spot. It’s nice." 

Earlier this spring, Smith-Schuster remarked that he felt "the sky is the limit" for Jones and the team's offense under O’Brien. The receiver repeated that take during a Wednesday appearance on the NFL Network "Inside Training Camp Live" program.

"We could be really good," Smith-Schuster insisted. "The sky is the limit for us. If anything, we're beating ourselves when it comes down the line. I don't really know too much about what happened last year, but I know that this year, sky's the limit for us. The guys that we have in the room right now, we're playing good ball, we're making good plays, we're building that chemistry and that connection, and every single day, we're getting better day by day."