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The Pittsburgh Steelers entered this offseason with 19 gamers scheduled to turn out to be unrestricted free brokers. So far, they’ve managed to retain 5 of them to date, and so they have misplaced 4, whereas additionally dropping a participant who was a restricted free agent, to not point out a number of cuts and retirements.
By far the marquee transfer was the retention of large receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, the 24-year-old Professional Bowler who, regardless of being the second-youngest participant at his place, has turn out to be the chief of the group, and one thing of a younger chief of the offense. Whereas the staff has persistently drafted for the place and drafted properly, it was a precedence for them to have the ability to hold him, president Artwork Rooney II mentioned earlier immediately with Steelers Nation Unite members.
JuJu was an essential a part of our offense final 12 months, and has been for the previous few years. We have been definitely hopeful that we might be capable of signal JuJu again. You by no means know if you hit free company the way it’s gonna go, however the one factor about JuJu is he actually needed to return again. That definitely helped rather a lot, and I’m glad we obtained him again, and stay up for him having one other good 12 months for us in 2021.
In response to stories, he signed a one-year deal price $8 million to re-sign with the Steelers, although he’s mentioned to have had different affords on the desk that, with incentives, have been price as much as $11 million and $13 million with the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens, respectively. The Philadelphia Eagles additionally reportedly provided him a multi-year deal price extra per 12 months than what he re-signed for.
A second-round decide in 2017, Smith-Schuster made a near-instant influence. I say near-instant as a result of he really was not focused in his first sport, regardless of seeing a good quantity of taking part in time, however he caught his first landing every week later, and set a staff rookie file with 917 receiving yards on the season.
Over the course of his first 4 seasons, he would area 308 passes for 3726 yards and 26 touchdowns. Of those that got here into the league since 2017, he ranks fourth in receptions, second in receiving yards, and tied for first in receiving touchdowns.
His greatest season got here in 12 months two in 2018, throughout which he caught 111 passes for 1426 yards and 7 touchdowns, reaching the Professional Bowl. The next 12 months, Ben Roethlisberger missed many of the season, and he himself battled accidents all through, lacking 4 video games, which decimated his influence.
The 2020 season noticed him settling into extra of a good finish route tree, as mirrored by his 5.5-yard common depth of goal. Whereas he nonetheless caught 97 passes, and scored a career-high 9 touchdowns, that solely accounted for 831 yards. The Steelers had higher discover methods to begin getting him the ball additional afield once more.
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