JuJu Smith-Schuster hopes to re-sign with Chiefs — or be No. 1 free agent WR

Henry McKenna

AFC East Reporter

PHOENIX — Last offseason, JuJu Smith-Schuster could not have hit free agency at a worse time in his career.

He hit the open market for the second year in a row. The former Pittsburgh Steeler had bet on himself during the 2021 offseason with a one-year deal — and the team’s quarterback situation fell into turmoil, with Ben Roethlisberger’s play declining substantially in the last year of his career.

The one-year deal didn’t work out in 2021. So Smith-Schuster doubled down in 2022, with another one-year deal, this time with the Kansas City Chiefs. And it’s fair to say he enjoyed the benefits of a QB upgrade. Patrick Mahomes helped him log 78 catches, 933 yards and three touchdowns. Despite dealing with a knee injury, Smith-Schuster is expected to play in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App).

The wideout is going to be a top-three option at his position in free agency this offseason. And in all likelihood, he’ll be the No. 1 receiver.

“That’s what I’m playing for,” Smith-Schuster said Thursday in Arizona.

But maybe he won’t even make it to the open market.

He added: “I just think that it’d be cool to keep playing in Super Bowls, keeping chasing rings.”

The Chiefs receiver emphasized how much he is focusing on the Super Bowl — and how much he wants to say with Kansas City.

So maybe he’ll get a contract extension before the free agency period hits?

“Yeah, that would be nice,” Smith-Schuster said. “You get to play with Patrick Mahomes. He’s signed here for another 10 years, so that’s nice. You also get the opportunity to play with a good group of guys like Travis Kelce. We’ve got a young defense. It just all goes hand in hand and everything works out.

Juju Smith-Schuster on Patrick Mahomes

Chiefs WR Juju Smith-Schuster gives high praise to QB Patrick Mahomes. “Once he gets out of the pocket, the play is just starting,” Smith-Schuster said.

The Chiefs are happy for JuJu — even if he leaves.

“Happy doesn’t even do it justice. You’re just so proud of him,” Chiefs receivers coach Joe Bleymaier said Thursday. “And he deserves everything that he’s gonna get. We hope it’s here, but he’s got to do what’s best for him, and you just couldn’t be more happy for him.”

Smith-Schuster earned a large portion of his incentive-laden deal worth up to $3.76 million. But those earnings pale in comparison to other wideouts who posted around 1,000 receiving yards. He’ll have the leverage to earn somewhere at least in the range of $10 million per year, like his teammate Marquez Valdes-Scantling ($10M/yr) and the Panthers’ Curtis Samuel ($11.5M/yr).

Receivers Jakobi Meyers and Odell Beckham Jr. are the other two big-name receivers available. The Cardinals are open to trading receiver DeAndre Hopkins, per multiple reports. And maybe Tee Higgins will end up hitting the market, too, if he and the Bengals can’t agree on an extension.

So there aren’t many options when compared to recent years. JuJu should have plenty of leverage. Maybe he can push his annual value into the $15 million range, up with similarly big-bodied possession receivers like Allen Robinson and Courtland Sutton.

“He bet on himself and so he came in motivated to make the most out of this year,” Bleymaier said. “Obviously, as a coach, that’s all you can ask for is the guy that’s hungry, motivated, comes to work every day. Just: ‘What can I do? What do you need me to do? How can I get better?’ And that was his approach from the first day that he showed up in the spring. Just absorb as much as he can, be a sponge, and then go out and experiment with different things that we were doing that he hadn’t done before — and then a bunch of stuff that he was great at that we wanted to incorporate.

“And so then when it gets to this point, he’s hit all incentives [in his contract]. He’s played a huge part in our offense. He has such good chemistry with all the guys in the locker room.”

Smith-Schuster will add to his résumé on Sunday with Super Bowl experience — and maybe even a ring. And then, he’ll (financially) make the most of his talents for the first time in his career. Finally, his timing will be his ally.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.

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