KC Chiefs: Free agent signings who make most sense
By Matt Conner
JuJu Smith-Schuster, wide receiver
This song-and-dance is so familiar by now that it would almost feel like an upset if it didn’t happen—at least for those fans who aren’t somehow anti-Smith-Schuster (yes there are some on Twitter).
If you’re not well-versed in the history here, we offer a brief primer. A few teams had a remarkably public courtship with Smith-Schuster last offseason as he hit free agency for the first time. At the time he was only 25 years old and coming off of a productive season in which he played all 16 games, but somehow he only garnered mostly one-year deals in free agency.
The remarkably public part was that the Steelers were proven to have offered less money (quite a bit) than the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs over a similar time frame (a single season), and the Philadelphia Eagles even offered a more lucrative multi-year contract. Still, it proved to be too difficult for Smith-Schuster to think of playing away from his NFL home and he went back to the Steelers on a team-friendly deal.
Coming into this season, a one-year deal is, again, going to be the norm given that Smith-Schuster was injured last season (shoulder) and played only five games. While he will still get paid a healthy amount of money this year, it should mirror the offers he received last spring with the Chiefs in play.
Present rumors suggest Smith-Schuster might be willing to return to Pittsburgh once again, but that’s a career-killer of a reunion. The Steelers were already going with a noodle-armed QB, but things are likely going to get worse before they get better in Pittsburgh and the team already has talented wideouts even if Smith-Schuster leaves.
Last year, Smith-Schuster admitted the Chiefs were next on his list after re-signing with the Steelers and in January, Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network cited multiple sources that Smith-Schuster was still excited to potentially play for K.C. The Chiefs have never filled that role that they once envisioned for the Steelers wideout and it all just makes too much sense at this point not to happen.