Why The Steelers Won’t Re-Sign JuJu Smith-Schuster!
One of the hottest topics in sports these days is this, “will the Steelers re-sign JuJu Smith-Schuster or not?” Read on…
CelebNSports247.com reports that during the Steelers offseason there have been talks about whether Pittsburgh will re-sign wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster before he hits free agency in March.
According to reports, typically, the club handles contract negotiations the season before the player hits free agency, but it appears a deal is not likely to happen.
According to Steelers site, there has been no discussion between the Steelers and JuJu’s camp about his future in Pittsburgh.
So far, Hines Ward and Antonio Brown are the only two guys the Steelers have signed to second contracts for the 20-21 season.
That means the Steelers will more than likely not re-sign JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Here are the reasons why:
- Football is, first and foremost, a business. This is why it makes sense to replace high-priced receivers with more affordable ones without risking production. Hines Ward and Antonio Brown are the only two receivers they’ve inked to second contracts in recent history.
- Next, if Smith-Schuster doesn’t demand Brown-like money, the Steelers still won’t be able to afford him. As Steelers Wire recently reported, as it currently stands, the Steelers are $15 million over the projected $175 million 2021 salary cap.
- That figure doesn’t take into account any high priority free agents. Money doesn’t grow on trees, but wide receivers do. The Steelers have a pedigree of (mostly) excellent wide receiver drafts.
The Athletic‘s Ed Bouchette had this inside tidbit to share in a recent article he wrote on Smith-Schuster’s contract:
Tom Donahoe, when he was the Steelers’ director of football operations in the 1990s, once told me that wide receiver were a dime a dozen, and the organization has treated them that way.
Bottom line, If Smith-Schuster doesn’t outperform his 2019 season, the Steelers will gladly show him the door without batting an eye.
