Patriots Pro Bowl WR feels he has 'something to prove' every training camp

The Patriots wide receiver corps could look a lot different in 2024.

New England signed K.J. Osborn in free agency, drafted Ja'Lynn Polk (No. 37) and Javon Baker (No. 110) in the 2024 NFL Draft and lost DeVante Parker, who announced his retirement this offseason,

The influx of young talent has left Pro Bowl wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster's future with the team up in the air, but he revealed that's not a new feeling.

"I feel like every training camp I have something to prove," Smith-Schuster said via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. "That's part of my nature, part of my game."

It doesn't help that the 27-year-old is coming off a disappointing season in which he registered just 29 catches for 260 yards and one touchdown in 11 games.

That's not the production the Patriots were likely hoping to see after signing him to a three-year, $25.5 million contract last offseason.

Smith-Schuster knows that and is ready to prove himself again as a reliable pass catcher in the league.

"It's always been in me, that dog, that competitiveness," Smith-Schuster added. "I've been in a lot of situations where I've been making those hard catches and being able to convert and move the sticks. For sure, got that dog in me, for sure."

New England also has a new regime taking over, led by head coach Jerod Mayo. A shift in leadership often results in a lot of change, and Smith-Schuster hopes he's not a part of that in a crowded wide receiver room.

"I would say that the competition level is very, very high," Smith-Schuster finished. "I feel like for myself, it's something that coming out here and got to prove to compete with these guys."

Smith-Schuster has a $7 million guaranteed salary in 2024, so if the battle is close, the Patriots may opt to give him another chance, but if it isn't, they may cut their losses with him.

The former second-round pick (No. 62) by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017 has 430 catches for 5,048 yards and 30 touchdowns in his seven-year NFL career.