Monday morning on NFL Network, NFL reporter Mike Garafolo indicated he was told Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster had told teammates he is likely to sign elsewhere for the 2021 season once free agency begins on Wednesday.
The was an inevitability many Steelers fans have been hoping wouldn’t come. Smith-Schuster has come out publicly on numerous occasions over the last few weeks indicating he wants to stay in Pittsburgh but trust me, he doesn’t want to stay in Pittsburgh more than he wants to get paid.
And paid is what Smith-Schuster will be by a team in need of a solid No. 2 wide receiver with the money to spend.
Smith-Schuster was the Steelers second-round pick out of USC back in 2017 NFL draft. Smith-Schuster has 308 career receptions in just four seasons and has 97 catches or more twice. Smith-Schuster’s career-highs came in 2018 when he hauled in 111 receptions for 1,426 yards.
The Steelers don’t want to let Smith-Schuster leave but they planned for it. Pittsburgh has Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and James Washington rounding out their top three which gives confidence in the future of the position in Pittsburgh.
