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Almost three days after the start of the bid submission period, there was little or no news about offers made to free agent recipient JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Steelers’ MVP in 2018, Smith-Schuster completed his rookie contract and can be signed by any team.
Obviously, he hasn’t received an offer he likes. The fact that his name didn’t even appear suggests that the teams are aware of his contractual expectations and that no one is willing to give him whatever he is looking for.
The challenge when it comes to paying Smith-Schuster comes from the fact that he is the second recipient. So, if he receives something like $ 18 million a year from a new team, recipient # 1 on that team will instantly want more – unless it’s a team with a player on a newbie contract that can’t yet be remade.
The fact that Smith-Schuster had the chance to be the No. 1 receiver in Pittsburgh after Antonio Brown’s departure in 2019 makes it even more clear that Smith-Schuster will not join a team like No. 1.
Speaking of Brown, Smith-Schuster was recently asked to appear on a podcast to name someone he would fight for. Smith-Schuster said Brown. Like Smith-Schuster, Brown is a free agent and his name has not yet been mentioned as a free agent.
Before the free agency, there were conversations linking Smith-Schuster to Raiders and Jets. The Raiders signed with John Brown and the Jets signed with Corey Davis. It remains to be seen whether these teams or someone else can get a race at Smith-Schuster.
Ultimately, he may have to make a one-year contract and try to get the payment he seeks next year, when the ceiling rises.