Passing the torch from one legendary Pittsburgh Steelers receiver to another? JuJu Smith-Schuster and Santonio Holmes are making that happen.
Future Hall of Fame wideout Santonio Holmes, who spent four seasons with Pittsburgh, appeared at the team's training camp on Tuesday. He was spotted speaking to third-year receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster for a “good 20 minutes,” per The Athletic's Mark Kaboly on Twitter.
JuJu Smith-Schuster spent a good 20 minutes getting tips from Santonio Holmes after practice. Then he went down to the Juggs machine to get in his catches
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) August 6, 2019
JuJu Smith-Schuster, 22, is set to be the franchise's number-one passing option following the trade of disgruntled veteran Antonio Brown, which sent the 31-year-old to the Oakland Raiders. The 6-foot-1 Smith-Schuster recorded 111 receptions in 16 games last season for the Steelers, going for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns. The USC product averaged 12.8 yards per reception in 2018.
Santonio Holmes, after four seasons with Pittsburgh, was traded to the New York Jets in 2010. He spent another four years with the Jets, after which he signed and briefly played for the Chicago Bears. Holmes, now 35 years old, signed a contract in 2014 with the Steelers so he could retire with the club.
Holmes was the Super Bowl MVP (XLIII) in Pittsburgh's 2008-09 championship season. He was the central figure in quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's passing game, leading to a game-winning touchdown reception in the final minute of the game against the Arizona Cardinals. Holmes caught nine receptions for 131 yards in Super Bowl XLIII, becoming the third Pittsburgh receiver in franchise history to earn MVP honors after Lynn Swann and Hines Ward.
Smith-Schuster has big shoes to fill as the face of the offense alongside Roethlisberger, who turned 37 years old last March. With Brown and running back Le'Veon Bell gone, the 22-year-old has emerged, next to running back James Conner, as the face of the franchise.
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