Don’t close the door on JuJu Smith-Schuster returning to the Steelers after all

Though he has been linked to the New York Jets, former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster remains an unrestricted free agent.

It was assumed JuJu Smith-Schuster’s time with the Pittsburgh Steelers was all but over, but the door is open for the receiver to make a return to the Steel City if his options in free agency aren’t to his liking.

Smith-Schuster has been rumored to reunite with his USC quarterback Sam Darnold on the New York Jets.

Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network report while the Jets have been in conversations about signing Smith-Schuster, he remains unsigned late into the first week of 2021 NFL free agency and it’s not out of the question for him to return to the Steelers.

Smith-Schuster has spent his entire four-year NFL career with the Steelers after being drafted in the second round in 2017.

Would JuJu Smith-Schuster actually be a good fit with the New York Jets?

The Jets have the cap space to sign a player of Smith-Schuster’s caliber in his free agency. While he has regressed the last two years after looking like a potential superstar his first two years in the league, he won’t turn 25 years-old until late November.

Smith-Schuster has combined for 139 catches for 1,383 yards and 12 touchdowns the last two years after producing 169 catches for 2,343 yards and 14 touchdowns in his first two seasons.

While new head coach Robert Saleh offers a great deal of promise, he is a defensive-minded head coach and may not be all that involved in the offensive game plan. We also need to recognize that playing in a massive media market may not be the best thing for a wide receiver who is better known for his TikTok videos than his play on the field. Still, it feels like he is worth the gamble.

The allure of pairing Smith-Schuster with Darnold again could be something to keep an eye on but a return to Pittsburgh would keep the Steelers in contention to return to the playoffs in what appears to be Ben Roethlisberger’s final season.