New England Patriots veteran wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs, is a potential cut candidate heading into training camp.
Smith-Schuster, who signed a three-year, $25.5 million contract with New England in 2023, is coming off of a season in which injuries and inconsistent play led to one of the lowest statistical outputs of his NFL career (29 catches, 260 yards, 1 TD in seven games played, per Pro Football Reference).
According to the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed — who spoke with Smith-Schuster this offseason — Smith-Schuster “estimates he was at 60% at this time last year when the Patriots kicked off OTAs and he was still sidelined by a knee procedure he underwent after winning Super Bowl LVII with the Chiefs.”
Per Kyed, Smith-Schuster now believes “he’s finally at 100% for his first time in a Patriots uniform after focusing on rest this offseason.”
But according to others who were also in attendance for the team’s spring practices — like The Athletic’s Chad Graff — there isn’t a noticeable difference in Smith-Schuster’s explosiveness compared to the last couple of years. That’s why Smith-Schuster isn’t currently a lock to make the Patriots roster, which is chock-full of young and drafted talent at receiver.
“[Kendrick] Bourne, [Demario] Douglas, [KJ] Osborn, [Ja’Lynn] Polk and [Javon] Baker are leading candidates to make the Patriots’ 53-man roster, so Smith-Schuster is likely competing for a spot with [Jalen] Reagor, [Tyquan] Thornton and [Kayshon] Boutte, among others,” Kyed wrote on May 20.
Patriots Can Handle Cutting JuJu Smith-Schuster
If the Patriots do decide to release Smith-Schuster, 27, with a post-June 1 designation, the team would save approximately $8.1 million against the cap over the next two years and would take on $12.2 million in dead money over the same period, per Over The Cap.
Though there is a bit of financial downside to cutting Smith-Schuster this year, New England has a league-leading $45.6 million in cap space. So, the dead money it would take on from releasing Smith-Schuster could be handled with ease. Because of that, unless Smith-Schuster shows more than he has over the last year, the veteran wideout will be released by the Patriots in the coming months.
Should the Chiefs Take a Flyer on JuJu Smith-Schuster if He’s Cut?
If Smith-Schuster is cut, it wouldn’t hurt the Chiefs to sign him to an incentive-ladened deal, if he’s willing. He could teach the team’s younger receivers the nuances of the Chiefs’ offensive system and potentially provide a tiny spark in the passing game. If he can’t do that, then Kansas City could part ways with him and suffer minimal cap casualties from it.
It would be a win-win for both sides, as the Chiefs need all the help they can get on their quest for a three-peat and Smith-Schuster is looking to prove he’s still a productive NFL receiver.
During the 2023 season with the Chiefs, Smith-Schuster registered 78 receptions on 101 targets for 933 yards and 3 touchdowns in 16 regular season games played. During the team’s Super Bowl run that season, he caught 10 passes on 12 targets for 89 yards.
