As was the case in the last offseason, wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster faces an uncertain future with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Even as he garnered interest from teams such as the Kansas City Chiefs, Smith-Schuster wound up staying put with the Steelers on a one-year, $8 million deal. Overall, his season did not go as planned, as he suffered a shoulder injury in the Steelers’ home win over the Denver Broncos that sidelined him for the remainder of the regular season. He did make his return to action in the AFC wild-card loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he hauled in five receptions for 26 receiving yards.
Smith-Schuster is not the only notable receiver on the team who is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the coming months, as James Washington and Ray-Ray McCloud will also be out of a contract in the offseason.
As he noted during a press conference earlier in the week, wide receiver Diontae Johnson is unsure on whether any of these offensive talents will return for the 2022 campaign, as he well sees the business side of the NFL.
“I mean, we talked about that a lot during the season,” Johnson said. “About this might be our last time being together. We played with each other for a few years. Just being able to know each other, bond with each other, knowing how each other plays.
“It's going to be different if they don't come back next year because we still got that friendship and you just used to being around certain people for quite a while. I wish them the best no matter what, if they're here or they're on a different team.”
Smith-Schuster has already publicly noted his desire to stay put in Pittsburgh, as he mentioned earlier in the week that “it would be a blessing” to re-sign with the Steelers.
An unpredictable offseason sure awaits the Steelers, as they are also on the lookout for Ben Roethlisberger’s successor at the quarterback position.
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