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2020 was a mixed bag for the Pittsburgh Steelers. 2020 was also a mixed bag in the same way for their young wide receiver stud, Juju Smith-Schuster.
On one hand, Pittsburgh started off in the limelight, on both sides of the ball. Juju had his first big chance to shine as a primary option. On the other hand, Big Ben looked absolutely shot as the season went on. Juju was moved back into the slot and sort of disappointed.
On one hand, the Steelers defense was the best and scariest it had looked in years. Juju's speed and hands were working at their best. On the other hand, Pittsburgh ultimately couldn't live up to the hype and got ousted by a younger, hungrier version of themselves. Juju couldn't live up to his TikTok following and got replaced by Chase Claypool on the outside.
With all that being said, Juju needs a home in free agency and stat. It remains to be seen if he can live up to his superstar billing and household name, but the right team can definitely maximize his considerable talent while tempering his less professional tendencies. Luckily, with Kenny Golladay stealing the spotlight this year and bad teams pushing to spend top dollar on him, a spot for Juju can't be far behind.
So let's idealize. These are the 3 most ideal landing spots for Juju Smith-Schuster in free agency.
3. LA Chargers
If you are the LA Chargers' front office, you have a bit of a dilemma on your hands. Hunter Henry is gone, and Mike Williams might be gone soon too. He is inconsistent as a secondary option to Keenan Allen, if spectacular when he's at his best.
And speaking of Keenan Allen, he has been hit by the injury stick enough times for you to be concerned about his durability going forward.
In short, Justin Herbert needs weapons in order to make lemonade out of the the lemons that life has given him in LA's other team.
Enter Juju.
If you thought Herbert was electric, give him a second season acclimating to LA's offensive system, a two-headed threat in Juju and Keenan Allen, and another year of simple development, and LA's offense becomes electric once more.
At the very least, Juju Smith-Schuster would bring some spice and glitz to the least popular sports franchise in Los Angeles.
2. Miami Dolphins
Similarly to Los Angeles, Juju would find a great fit waiting for him in Miami alongside the big bodies on the Dolphins' air squadron.
DeVante Parker and Preston Williams give second-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa a pair of solid deep threats already, but the young signal-caller has already shown a lack of pop and fearlessness in the deep game that illustrates his youth. Juju would give him a very valuable option in the slot for rhythm passes that could open up gaping holes down the middle of the field with defenses keyed in on Parker and Williams.
Juju wouldn't necessarily inherit the outside role he's always wanted since the departure of Antonio Brown from Pittsburgh, but Tua is bound to love his speed, hands, and dependability in the slot. HC Brian Flores is bound to love that prospect as well, as Juju would help to form the corps of a rhythm chain-moving offense that gives Miami's number one scoring defense a chance to actually rest.
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And with such an upgrade, Miami becomes the most likely of these three teams to make the playoffs next year.
1. Jacksonville Jaguars
Only one team eclipses Miami as the top beneficiary of Juju Smith-Schuster's considerable talents: the Jacksonville Jaguars.
If he goes to Jacksonville, Juju immediately becomes the number one option he always dreamed of being. More importantly, he would be the number one option for a team that can actually make waves next season (looking at you, Jets). Why?
Trevor Lawrence and Urban Meyer. Lawrence has been modestly touted as the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck, and Urban Meyer is one of the winningest coaches and culture changers in recent memory. Everywhere he goes, every team he touches, turns to the most buttoned-up and successful version of itself.
Sure, that's all in college, but why can't that extend to the pros?
Jacksonville's offense is already assured to be dynamic at the very least: DJ Chark is still intriguing, and James Robinson has been the offensive steal of last year's draft. Juju takes that concept into overdrive.
This free agency period is a watershed moment in Juju's career. What will he decide to be? Who can afford to take a high-reward risk on what is essentially a wildly talented unknown? Only time will tell, but the waters are starting to settle, and teams are finding dance partners. We're all crossing our fingers that Juju finds the right one for him.
But we do know one thing: it definitely isn't Pittsburgh.
