Less than two weeks before the Chiefs begin their quest for a three-peat, they’re adding a familiar weapon for Patrick Mahomes.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, who was part of the Chiefs team that won Super Bowl 2023 over the Eagles, is re-signing with Kansas City, according to NFL Network, after he was released by the Patriots earlier this month.
After the 27-year-old won his first career championship, he signed a three-year, $25.5 million contract with New England, but in a terrible offense during Bill Belichick’s last year as the team’s coach, he had just 29 catches for 260 yards and one touchdown in 11 games.
Smith-Schuster has been dealing with a knee issue, and Belichick’s successor, Jerod Mayo, said the knee was part of the reason the team let him go, while also wanting to give their younger receivers more opportunities.
“We just want him to get healthy,” Mayo said on Aug. 11. “He still has some good ball left in him and I wish him nothing but the best.”
Smith-Schuster joins a crowded receiver room that includes Rashee Rice, rookie first-rounder Xavier Worthy, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, Super Bowl hero Mecole Hardman, Justin Watson, Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney, the former Giants first-round pick who might get cut before Tuesday’s 53-man roster deadline.
And all of those receivers, of course, are fighting for targets behind star tight end Travis Kelce.
The Chiefs are also bracing for a potential suspension for Rice, who was arrested for his role in a car crash and accused of allegedly assaulting an individual this offseason.
In 16 games with the Chiefs during the 2022 season, Smith-Schuster had 78 catches for 933 yards and three touchdowns, adding 10 catches for 89 yards in three playoff games.
A second-round pick by the Steelers in 2017, Smith-Schuster spent five seasons in Pittsburgh and was a Pro Bowler in 2018, when he had 111 catches, 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns.
He had 3,855 yards and 26 touchdowns over his five years with the Steelers.