5 landing spots for JuJu Smith-Schuster in 2022 NFL free agency

Because he went back there, the Pittsburgh Steelers have to remain in the mix

By coming back to the Steelers willingly on a second contract, one would think Pittsburgh is very much in the mix to retain Smith-Schuster’s services. Though he has been marginalized to some extent by the emergence of Chase Claypool and Pat Freiermuth in the receiving corps, the Steelers know what they have in Smith-Schuster. Their big problem is they have do not have a quarterback.

That right there is the biggest reason why Smith-Schuster could walk. He may have caught passes from Mason Rudolph when Ben Roethlisberger was down for the count at times in the last few seasons, but the Steelers’ quarterback room looks incredibly bleak. They either need to draft Roethlisberger’s heir apparent, trade for him or hope he is chilling out there in NFL free agency.

Because he came back to Pittsburgh at somewhat of a discount, there is a chance Smith-Schuster could do the same thing again in 2022. While he did miss most of the season due to injury, that may not impact his market value a ton in free agency. Ultimately, Smith-Schuster will be a leading candidate to keep Smith-Schuster around until he decides to sign up to play for another NFL team.

The Steelers will not want to lose a quality wide receiver, but other teams may covet him more.