Receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is expected to return to the Kansas City Chiefs, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Smith-Schuster played the 2022-23 season with Kansas City, appearing in 16 games (starting 14) and catching 78 passes for 933 yards with three touchdowns. In the postseason, he added 10 catches for 89 yards as the Chiefs went on to win Super Bowl LVII.
The seven-year veteran adds experience to a relatively young Chiefs receiver corps led by Rashee Rice, free agent Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and rookie Xavier Worthy. Smith-Schuster will try to stand out from Skyy Moore, Justin Watson, Mecole Hardman and Kadarius Toney on Kansas City’s depth chart.
However, Rice faces a likely suspension for his involvement in a multi-car crash in Dallas in April, while Brown is recovering from a separated shoulder suffered in the Chiefs’ first preseason game.
After signing a three-year, $25.5 million deal with the New England Patriots in free agency, Smith-Schuster played in 11 games (staring seven). He compiled 29 receptions for 260 yards and a touchdown, hardly the production expected with that contract. The Patriots released him in early August.
Reporters covering the Patriots point out that the team essentially chose Smith-Schuster over Jakobi Meyers with the free agent contract, a trade-off that backfired. Meyers went to the Las Vegas Raiders and caught 71 passes for 807 yards and eight touchdowns last season.
Having played seven NFL seasons, Smith-Schuster will likely sign for a veteran minimum of $1.21 million with the Patriots obligated to pay the remaining $7 million he was owed for this season, according to Spotrac.
During his NFL career, Smith-Schuster has 430 receptions for 5,048 yards and 30 touchdowns, averaging 11.7 yards per catch. He played his first five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who selected him in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of USC.
