Will JuJu Smith-Schuster Take Another Discount?

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JuJu Smith-Schuster presents a fascinating free agent case for the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason. Overall, his production will not necessarily match that of the NFL’s best wide receivers. Smith-Schuster is quite expansive on the roles that he can offer to an offense, however. Like many others, his addition to the Chiefs in 2022 provided Kansas City with a smart and instinctive group of pass catchers. That appeared to show up when it mattered most late in games.

On the other hand, finding a reasonable argument for what contract JuJu Smith-Schuster may command becomes difficult. In a couple of weeks, we will look to map out a prediction for what that could possibly look like, in regard to if he re-signs with Kansas City. But for now, there is another element or question that must be answered. Will JuJu Smith-Schuster take a discount on his next contract, once again?

Let’s look back on the recent contract negotiations for Smith-Schuster and how those turned out. Meanwhile, the motivation is extremely clear, when it comes to possibly re-signing with the Kansas City Chiefs.

History Of Hometown Discounts

JuJu Smith-Schuster has taken two trips through free agency over the last two offseasons. In each instance, the USC product signed well below what most free agent wide receivers have been going for. In 2021, Smith-Schuster re-signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers on a one-year contract for $8 million. He reportedly took less money to remain in Pittsburgh, rather than signing elsewhere with larger offers. Then last offseason, JuJu Smith-Schuster once again inked a one-year deal to join the Kansas City Chiefs. The pass catcher had a maximum value of around $10 million on his new contract. Though, the Chiefs made this deal highly incentivized, with his 2022 guaranteed salary coming in at $2.49 million, per Spotrac.

To see him do that not once, but twice, is rare for a pass catcher in today’s day and age. JuJu Smith-Schuster was also on Kansas City’s radar for both of the last two offseasons. In fact, Kansas City was one team that reportedly offered the wide receiver more money than Pittsburgh in 2021. That multiple year history of taking discounts to help out the hometown team, so to speak, creates an intriguing perspective. It simply shows that Smith-Schuster will do anything to help out his team.

Chased By Kansas City

As mentioned above, JuJu Smith-Schuster has seemingly been on the Chiefs’ radar for a good bit. It seemed like they were making a strong run at him in 2021. Once Kansas City got another chance to sign him in 2022, it came as no surprise when Smith-Schuster was one of their first signings. The Chiefs totally revamped the wide receiver room last offseason. Gone was Tyreek Hill, and in came a group that boasted tremendous collective size, instincts and route running skills.

Even without having one of the league’s best wide receivers, the Chiefs were still one of the best offenses in the league. Kansas City has always appeared to be high on JuJu Smith-Schuster. But when you couple in his ability to produce chunk gains like he did in 2022, with his impact Super Bowl LVII performance, the Chiefs may want him back even more. Smith-Schuster came through for Patrick Mahomes and the offense when the lights shined brightest. As a result, the affinity between this player-team fit could be much higher.

Money Or Rings

Of course, the decision that JuJu Smith-Schuster will have to make is what his top motivation will be moving forward. Will he finally look to hit big on a major payday? Or, will Smith-Schuster look to take another prime opportunity at another Super Bowl victory, by returning to the Kansas City Chiefs?

The motivation for another ring may already be enough for Smith-Schuster, based on his recent cheap signings alone. Moreover, there is a chance at getting to be one of the top pass catchers for Mahomes in Andy Reid‘s offense. That was already realized once by JuJu Smith-Schuster inside of a tight AFC playoff race. Could that happen again?

On the flip side, there are many teams that are projected for ample salary cap space that have a need at wide receiver. Teams like the Chicago Bears, New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens all have needs at wide receiver entering 2023. To boot, all of those teams currently sit in the top ten in available salary cap space. That comes before any cuts or restructures have been made. In the end, the money talks and can be a huge opportunity for free agents to score big.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles and analysis throughout this week. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.