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It’s been a frustrating few seasons for JuJu Smith-Schuster wearing black and gold. His stats and goals have fallen off a cliff since 2018, and that frustration appears to peak in 2021.
After Ben Roethlisberger knocked down the receiver in a pair of walk-in touchdowns, Smith-Schuster let out a rare explosion on the sideline, sending a Microsoft tablet into the turf. Negative explosion isn’t something you see from Smith-Schuster, as his reputation off the pitch is just as important as his reputation off the pitch.
Last week, in the aftermath of the incident, CBS Sports posted a chart of NFL stars who could be stranded on the trade deadline online and Smith-Schuster’s name featured prominently on it.
In the last offseason, Smith-Schuster became the Steelers’ first receiver since Antonio Brown signed a second contract. Of course, the deal had only lasted a year and a chalk full of voidable years. In doing so, the organization has distributed much of the money in the future. The positives for JuJu to sign this deal are mostly that he was able to keep his image positive through the Steelers huge fan base. This means that his media career, which will likely make him more money anyway, will go unscathed. A trade with the Steelers would also keep Smith-Schuster’s reputation intact until he publicly asks for it. But the receiver is too smart to do something like this.
A trade could also mean a lot to the Steelers; however, the benefit in return would be minimal for a receiver on an expiring deal with poor stats. The Steelers could come out of those cancelable years and invest the money to start that rebuild in 2022. The way the deal was structured, the Steelers would have a $ 5.6 million load cap through 2022 for Smith. -Schuster although he has become a free agent again. Putting that money on someone else’s books could help the Steelers take bigger steps, like finding Ben Roethlisberger’s replacement.
If the Steelers keep losing, then making a deal would make a lot of sense. Especially with the Steelers’ next two opponents, the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks, whose starting quarterbacks are questionable and absent for both games. If the loss continues, dealing with Smith-Schuster would be a smart business move for a team on the brink of rebuilding.
But what do you think? Do you think the Steelers will trade JuJu Smith-Schuster? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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