It took a few days, but in the end, JuJu Smith-Schuster fulfilled his wish. The receiving veteran will remain in Pittsburgh after signing a one-year contract with Steelers. Although he did not make a deal similar to the one that Curtis Samuel signed with Washington, Smith-Schuster managed to stay in Pittsburgh while putting himself in a position to strike a long-term deal in 2022.
Smith-Schuster declined several other offers to stay in Pittsburgh. Below, we’ll take a look at the teams rejected by Smith-Schuster. We will also review the other winners and losers from the third day of free agency.
Winner: Pittsburgh Steelers
Once they decided to bring Ben Roethlisberger back, it made sense for the Steelers to try to bring Roethlisberger’s favorite receiver back. Despite receiving offers from the Eagles, Ravens and Chiefs, JuJu Smith-Schuster finally decided to return to Pittsburgh on a $ 8 million contract for a year. Pittsburgh was able to keep Smith-Schuster at a very affordable price while keeping the Steelers’ reception corps (a group that also includes Chase Claypool, Diontae Johnson and James Washington) intact for 2021.
Loser: Baltimore Ravens
Despite making a great effort to hire him, the Ravens failed in their attempt to get their rival’s number 1 receiver. The Ravens are still looking for a veteran receiver and their options are becoming limited. Fortunately for Baltimore, there are still some good veterans available, including Antonio Brown. TY Hilton and Sammy Watkins. The Ravens have put the hat in the ring with regard to the persecution of Kenny Golladay.
Winner: Justin Simmons
Instead of playing under the brand in 2021, Simmons and the Broncos managed to come to terms with a $ 61 million four-year deal that includes a guaranteed $ 35 million. The 98th overall choice in the 2016 draft, Simmons has become one of the best free resources in the NFL. In 2020, Simmons won his first Pro Bowl selection after registering 96 tackles, five interceptions and nine defended passes.
Loser: Chicago Bears
The Bears seemed to be firmly in the mix to get Kenny Golladay after meeting the Chicago native on Wednesday night. But now, it seems that the Giants are the favorites to land Golladay after meeting him for the past two days. The Bears deserve props, putting the franchise’s brand on Allen Robinson, which makes the likely smell of Golladay easier to digest. The Bears also have several other veteran receivers that they can chase. That list includes Hilton, Antonio Brown and Watkins.
Winner: Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals finally split with Geno Atkins, eight times against the Pro Bowl, saving $ 9.5 million in cap space. Cincinnati also made a big impact when he signed offensive veteran Riley Reiff. The 23rd overall choice in the 2012 draft, Reiff, 32, has spent the past four years with the Vikings after playing five seasons in Detroit. Reiff, who has experience in both tackle venues, has 127 games in 135 regular season games. Last season, Reiff helped Dalvin Cook to finish second in the NFL with 1,557 run yards.
Cincinnati also replaced reserve quarterback Ryan Finely with Houston, allowing them to go up about 30 points at the end of the 2021 project.
Loser: Russell Wilson
Despite their internal turmoil, Wilson and the Seahawks are likely to be together in the 2021 season, according to CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora. The Saints, Bears, Raiders and Cowboys – the teams on Wilson’s approved list of teams he would agree to trade with – made further moves in the quarterback after failing to strike a commercial deal with Seattle earlier this week. And while the window hasn’t theoretically closed, it looks like Wilson is going back to Seattle. The Seahawks made some moves to help protect Wilson in 2021. They reassociated the Ethan Pocic center while also exchanging a fifth round choice for the Raiders for guard Gabe Jackson. They also made Wilson a little happier by rehiring veteran Chris Carson for a two-year deal.