Two days after 2021 the free NFL agency and several days after the start of legal tampering, one of the biggest projected off-season targets remains homeless: JuJu Smith-Schuster, the 24-year-old Steelers Pro Bowl wide receiver. Although some teams have pointed to or spoken to the young pass catcher, the top of the WR market as a whole has slowly developed as clubs prepare to receive an equally deep receiving group in the 2021 draft.
How is the Smith-Schuster market at the moment? Here’s our best guess on the nine most logical landing points for the former Steelers top receiver:
Why would they pay for JuJu when they still need to extend Allen Robinson? Well, this is the same organization that apparently signed Andy Dalton and committed to him as the initiator in a decisive year for the trainer and general manager. So yes. After freeing up space by cutting Kyle Fuller, they can easily try to upgrade the slot receiver, where they are buying Anthony Miller.
Wouldn’t that be spicy? Cincy is generally not eager to spend a lot, but if the Smith-Schuster market is really depressed, why wouldn’t they consider it? Without AJ Green, they could use another proven body alongside Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins and Auden Tate, even though Boyd already works well at the slot machine. JuJu, on the other hand, would have a chance to face the Steelers twice a year.
They could be quietly in the driver’s seat here. JuJu is from California and would definitely like to go back to sunnier game days. Most importantly, LA has money, just added Jared Cook as a short-term solution and has every reason to continue building around Justin Herbert. Keenan Allen plays a lot on the slot machine, but both he and Smith-Schuster are able to spin out.
They don’t seem eager to burn their big pile of money, in part because they have several lucrative extensions open, but there is still room for at least one notable offensive addition, especially with TY Hilton still unsigned. They campaigned openly for a tight end of the game, and JuJu can basically be that as a big, sturdy intermediate target for the new quarterback Carson Wentz.
They’ve already gone through several offensive spots, adding Jacoby Brissett and Malcolm Brown as cutting-edge backups. There is also the addition of Will Fuller, a very capable beginner in general. But Fuller in a one-year pamphlet should not stop them from spending more money for the more reliable Smith-Schuster, whose style would go well with Fuller and DeVante Parker.
There is no way for Green Bay to place Smith-Schuster in a tight limit situation, unless its market is really disappointing and / or the Packers have more cost-cutting measures ahead of them. But you could easily see JuJu taking a little less to fit Aaron Rodgers for one of the most popular NFL franchises. Rodgers would certainly love a solid beginner of the Smith-Schuster caliber.
They are not loaded with money, but they have enough space to be creative. And giving Lamar Jackson such a robust mid-range target would bode well for the entire attack, not to mention the potential to weaken an important rival. The question, really, is whether the Ravens can or even want to spend more than a few million on the WR when they have already invested a decent amount in the Jackson O line.
thieves
The longer the JuJu stays in the market, the greater the likelihood of a return to Pittsburgh. Yes, the guy has openly bragged about his likely departure and probably has a larger number of suitors than the reports suggest, but he said earlier that he would like to stay in Steel City. If the Steelers could get him back in a sub-market deal, they would take the chance to win Ben Roethlisberger’s title or defeat.
They already hunted a great Steeler for a lot of money in Bud Dupree, so why not another one? In all seriousness, the Titans need at least a big boost in the attack now that Corey Davis and Jonnu Smith have signed elsewhere. Pairing JuJu with AJ Brown would help make up for the losses immediately, and they still have room to work.