KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs' search for a No. 2 wide receiver is over.
JuJu Smith-Shuster on Friday afternoon took to Twitter and announced he was signing with the Chiefs. The deal is for one year and worth up to $10.75 million, a source familiar with the situation told The Kansas City Star.
The addition of Smith-Schuster comes a year after the Chiefs first expressed interest in adding him to the roster during free agency. The 25-year-old receiver elected to return to the Pittsburgh Steelers on a one-year contract
With Smith-Schuster now aboard in Kansas City, the team has an immediate and experienced upgrade to the receiver spot opposite Tyreek Hill. And barring further news, it's a splashy end to a busy three days — with much of the action taking place behind the scenes for general manager Brett Veach and his front-office team — for the Chiefs.
The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Smith-Schuster entered the league in 2017 out of USC as a second-round pick with the Steelers. He burst on the scene in his rookie campaign, posting 58 catches for 917 yards and seven touchdowns. He followed up in 2018 with 111 catches for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns en route to a Pro Bowl selection. Both seasons came with Antonio Brown as the Steelers' clear No. 1 wide receiver.
Injuries took a toll on Smith-Schuster in two of the past three seasons. He dealt with head and knee injuries and missed four games in 2019. He missed 12 games in 2021 after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 5, finishing the regular season with a career-low 15 catches for 129 yards and no touchdowns.
But when he's healthy, there's little doubt that Smith-Schuster can be a true difference-maker. Over the past five seasons, he's appeared in 63 games with 51 starts, totaling 323 catches for 3,855 yards and 26 touchdowns.
Hill and Smith-Schuster combine to give quarterback Patrick Mahomes a highly capable one-two punch at the wide receiver position, with Travis Kelce another favorite target at tight end.
