New England Patriots wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is already signing the praises of Mac Jones, even if he hasn't worked out with him yet.
The new Patriots wide receiver said Jones left a good impression on him during his first visit up to the team's facilities in Foxborough after agreeing to a deal earlier in March.
“I have not thrown with Mac yet. But just watching film and just watching him, that dude loves, breathes New England,” Smith-Schuster said in an interview on 98.5 The Sports Hub's “Zolak & Bertrand.” “He’s the definition of a Patriot. Even in my short time, my 24 hours of being in New England, he was there, constantly working out with the guys, just getting after it, getting in the books. I mean, he’s a rookie Pro Bowler. So they do have a lot of potential and I can’t wait to get right with him.”
That's certainly a good sign for the start of the Jones-Smith-Schuster duo, especially considering who the veteran receiver is replacing. Smith-Schuster came to terms on a deal a day after Jakobi Meyers joined the Las Vegas Raiders. Meyers was the team's leading receiver over the past three seasons and was a favorite of Jones, who called Meyers one of his closest friends on the team and said he wanted to play with him for the remainder of his career.
However, Smith-Schuster has arguably been one of the game's best slot receivers since he entered the league in 2017. He had a monster 2018 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers (111 receptions, 1,426 yards, seven touchdowns) and had a solid 2022 campaign with the Kansas City Chiefs, recording 78 receptions for 933 yards and three touchdowns.
Jakobi Meyers and JuJu Smith-Schuster have similar games, but Smith-Schuster provides much more YAC ability
Meyers wasn't able to consistently turn schemed touches or underneath/wide-open receptions into bigger gains, which made him a less-than-ideal fit for NE's Z/slot role pic.twitter.com/iJTgE85Nk8
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) March 15, 2023
As the Patriots' offensive system is viewed as more complex, Smith-Schuster acknowledged that he'll have to do some transitioning but thinks he'll do just fine.
“Coming to a place where timing is perfection and getting that down is something I can play with and I can get used to and he has that potential,” Smith-Schuster said.
Smith-Schuster agreed to a three-year, $33 million deal with the Patriots last week. While the money played a factor in his signing, there was someone that was a big reason for his decision to head to New England.
“To be honest, it was [Bill] Belichick, man,” Smith-Schuster said in the same interview. “The want and the need and the position that I can fill there really caught my attention there. I felt like that was the most – to feel wanted in a place where I’m playing (for) a head coach have a lot of respect for and I just think that goes a long way.”
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