Two days after the NFL-free agency in 2021 and a few days after the start of legal tampering, one of the biggest predicted off-season targets remains homeless: JuJu Smith-Schuster, the Steelers’ 24-year-old Pro Bowl-wide receiver. While some teams apparently targeted the young passer or talked about it, the top of the WR market as a whole was slow to develop as clubs prepared to welcome a similar deep-receiving group into the 2021 draft.
What does Smith-Schuster’s market look like at this point? Here’s our best guess at the nine most logical landing spots for the Steelers’ former top receiver:
Why would they pay JuJu if they still had to extend Allen Robinson? Well, this is the same organization that Andy Dalton apparently signed and dedicated to him as the appetizer in a make-or-break year for the coach and general manager. So … yes. After freeing up space by cutting Kyle Fuller, they could easily try to upgrade at the lock receiver, where they buy Anthony Miller.
Wouldn’t that be spicy? Cincy usually does not want to spend much, but if Smith-Schuster’s market is actually depressed, why would they not consider it? If AJ Green is gone, they could use another proven body with Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins and Auden Tate, even if Boyd works the lock well. JuJu, on the other hand, will face the Steelers twice a year.
They can sit quietly here in the driver’s seat. JuJu is from California and would definitely welcome a return to sunny playing days. More importantly, LA has money, just added Jared Cook as a short-term solution, and he has every reason to keep building Justin Herbert. Keenan Allen plays a lot in the lock, but he and Smith-Schuster can turn outside.
They do not seem eager to burn through their huge pile of money, in part because they have several lucrative extensions on the dossier, but there is still room for at least one notable offensive addition, especially with TY Hilton not yet signed not. They have openly campaigned for a playing field, and JuJu can basically be a big, robust target for new quarterback Carson Wentz.
They have already spent in several offensive places and added Jacoby Brissett and Malcolm Brown as top backers. There is also the addition of Will Fuller, a very capable appetizer, outside the world. But Fuller on a one-year pamphlet should not stop them from revamping more dough for the more reliable Smith-Schuster, whose style will suit both Fuller and DeVante Parker well.
Green Bay cannot fit Smith-Schuster into a limited situation unless its market is really that disappointing and / or Packers are facing more cost savings. But you can easily see that JuJu is taking a little less to match Aaron Rodgers for one of the NFL’s most popular franchises. Rodgers will definitely like a hearty appetizer of Smith-Schuster’s caliber.
There is no money loaded with them, but they have enough space to be creative. And giving Lamar Jackson such a solid mid-range target would be good for the whole offense, not to mention a key competitor. The question, in fact, is whether the Ravens can or want to spend more than a few million on WR if they have already invested a decent amount in Jackson’s O-line.
Steelers
The longer JuJu sits on the market, the greater the return to Pittsburgh. Yes, the man has already openly flaunted his likely departure and probably has a larger number of suitors than reports suggest, but he said before he wanted to stay in Steel City. If the Steelers can get him back on a sub-market deal, they will seize the opportunity for Ben Roethlisberger’s title-or-bust return.
They’d already stripped one big name Steeler for big money in Bud Dupree, so why not another one? In all seriousness, the Titans need at least one major boost on offense now that Corey Davis and Jonnu Smith have signed elsewhere. If you pair JuJu with AJ Brown, it will immediately help compensate for the losses, and they still have limited space to work with.