Dulac: JuJu Smith-Schuster ‘would like to play in a big market’ to develop his brand

You’ve already read the title before entering, so you know exactly what it is, and you know exactly what the reactions will be in the comments section, but we still need to sort this out together, so let’s get started.

Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is among the biggest names to enter the free agency market for the Pittsburgh Steelers in just a few months. The four-year veteran has recorded more than 300 receptions for over 3,700 yards and 26 touchdowns since his second-round selection in 2017, making the Pro Bowl in 2018.

After posting nine touchdown receptions, a career high in 2020, Smith-Schuster followed with a 13-strike, 157-yard performance in the Steelers’ playoff loss this weekend, which was capped by another. touchdown.

While he plays a vital role in the team’s offense, they drafted three other receivers in all three drafts after taking him, including Diontae Johnson in 2019 and Chase Claypool last year, who threatened the Smith-Schuster’s rookie 917-yard team received yardage record and broke or equaled other teams rookie records.

While the Steelers would like to re-sign the 24-year-old, financial realities make it difficult, and according to Gerry Dulac, there could be other complications at stake as to where he wants to play in 2021 and beyond.

Writing for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dulac claims sources saying that “Smith-Schuster would like to play in a major market where he could expand his brand off-screen and his burgeoning social media presence.”

Presumably, the vast majority of players would prefer to play in a major market that would allow them to expand their brand, for example give them the opportunity to make more money. This does not necessarily mean that it determines their free will decisions.

Smith-Schuster, of course, is a prominent social media user and brand ambassador, and there is no doubt that Steelers fans will immediately accept the plausibility of what Dulac wrote. He’s been making money from sponsors since his first year, so it’s hardly surprising.

Even Claypool explained that one of the biggest influences Smith-Schuster has had on him this season was his advice off the pitch on how to build your brand. Obviously this is an important part of the conversation for him – as it does for so many professional athletes and for the majority of people who are in the public sector and have the opportunity to exploit their identities for profit.