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JuJu Smith-Schuster has signed a one-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, but just days after he put pen to paper, he is looking at an entirely different situation at Arrowhead Stadium.
Smith-Schuster signed on to be WR2 for Patrick Mahomes’ offense, a role that he excelled in during his years with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Yet, Wednesday afternoon saw a shockwave trade in the NFL, one that left the Chiefs with one less star receiver. Tyreek Hill has been moved to the Miami Dolphins.
Now, in theory, this should excite the former USC receiver, it was a deal that immediately propelled him into the WR1 slot in Kansas City, but this isn’t necessarily where he thrives.
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Antonio Brown was JuJu Smith-Schuster’s perfect teammate
In a five-year career with the Steelers, Smith-Schuster performed at his very highest level in the 2018 season.
His return of 1,426 yards and seven receiving touchdowns saw him earn Pro Bowl honors and allowed everyone in Pittsburgh to believe he was the heir to Antonio Brown’s throne.
There, however, is a key point, and it is Antonio Brown.
Now a much-maligned figure in the NFL, following his topless farewell to Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans as he left the team midway through a game, it’s easy to forget that Brown was the best receiver in football back then.
He was the undisputed primary target for Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense, and his presence suited Smith-Schuster down to the ground.
Brown took all the pressure off him, all the double-coverage from defenses and all the scrutiny of needing to deliver touchdowns.
In 2018, Brown and Smith-Schuster formed a dynamic partnership with the former leading the league in receiving touchdowns with 15, as well as racking up 1,297 yards.
Roethlisberger had two targets he could rely on, yet this wouldn’t last beyond that season.
Life without Antonio Brown highlighted JuJu Smith-Schuster’s weaknesses
Brown’s acrimonious departure to the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2019 offseason wasn’t seen as that big of a deal in Pittsburgh. His behavior and attitude had become something of a problem, and the Steelers were all too happy to trade him, especially now that they had his replacement in #19.
Injuries hit in 2019, and Smith-Schuster would only play in 12 games that year with his touchdown returns being a lowly three. There was a brief uptick in 2020 as he started 14 games and scored nine receiving touchdowns and posted 831 yards, but it was nothing close to his breakout year in 2018.
2021 was an even worse year, as his fifth-year option was exercised by the Steelers, but he started just five games.
A shoulder injury ended his season, leaving him with no touchdowns and only 129 receiving yards.
Brown’s departure left Smith-Schuster to lead the receiving corps in Pittsburgh, and it was simply a role he wasn’t suited to.
All the defensive coverage was now focused on him, and he was unable to make space from defenders, and his production dropped. Roethlisberger’s decline as a thrower didn’t help matters either.
Kansas City was supposed to be a fresh start
If Andy Reid’s offense does one thing spectacularly well, it plays to the strengths of every single player within it.
Hill as WR1 would have been perfect for Kansas City's new receiver. He would have been with a player who was, perhaps, even more productive than Brown was in 2018, and would have been a reliable secondary option for a quarterback who seems to keep even the most improbable of plays alive.
After injuries derailed his career in Pittsburgh, joining a winning team without pressure to star as the leading man could have rejuvenated the 25-year-old’s career.
Signing a one-year deal was very much a "prove yourself" contract for Smith-Schuster. He would get the chance to join a team that is built to win a Super Bowl, put up strong numbers as WR2 and then sign for another team in 2023 for the bumper salary the Steelers were unwilling to give him.
Hill’s trade takes all that away from him, especially with it becoming clear that the Chiefs are adding Corey Coleman to their roster. There is no outstanding candidate to be Mahomes’ primary target.
The former Steeler has the biggest reputation, unless KC takes a receiver in the 2022 NFL Draft, and he will have to show an improvement.
The Chiefs offense can make anyone look good. I think most people reading this believe they could get an NFL touchdown with Mahomes at quarterback, but that can only help a player so much.
He is not the archetypal WR1, and there is little evidence to suggest he can be. The Chiefs offense will naturally lift him upwards from his final two years at Heinz Field, but anything more than that isn’t guaranteed.
For how exciting the offseason period has been this year, there are always going to be losers in every deal, and at this juncture, JuJu Smith-Schuster appears to be the real loser of the Tyreek Hill trade, simply because it makes the situation he signed into much more complex, and it requires individual improvement.
Time will tell if he is capable of replacing Hill in the way he simply couldn’t replace Antonio Brown.
